Lips and lemons
There are certain smells and tastes that remind us of our childhood. Cherry lips, sherbet lemons, parma violets and floral gums are just a selection. No, they are not flowers, they are sweets! Known for their pungency and unmistakable flavour, these sweets and others were the best sellers of the 1970s. Now, they are back. In a flood of nostalgia, the retro sweet is becoming a hot favourite of the new millennium.

Big business
The UK spends more on sugar confectionary and chocolate per head than anywhere else in Europe so this is big business. Myriads of old fashioned sweet shops have started springing up all over the country with huge jars of sour plums and rhubarb and custards lining their shelves.

Internet businesses such as www.aquarterof.com and www.cybercandy.co.uk are booming. One reason for their success is the anonymity. A grown-up may feel slightly odd going into a sweet shop and buying bags of fried eggs, giant shrimps, flying saucers and cola bottles! This way everyone is happy.

The major stores
Even exclusive stores such as Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Liberty are cashing in on the trend and stocking traditional sweets such as strawberry bon-bons and pear drops.

Sarah Smith, owner of The Sugar Boy in Canterbury describes sweet buying as ‘very emotional. People are transported back in time and such is their joy when they discover their childhood favourite that they bulk buy, even whole jars. Men also tend to buy more than women.’

Mood and memory
Mood is also a major factor in sweet buying. Research has shown that people rarely buy the same sweet twice in succession.

Kate from Bangor, North Wales remembers, ‘being allowed to go to the shop on her bike with friends. Mum would give me 20 pence, you could get loads for that.’

Michael from Lincolnshire recalls, ’getting 11 sweets for his 10p pocket money’. Chocolate covered cinder toffee was among his favourites. ‘We then sat on the village green and ate it all.’

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, what are you waiting for?

Nelly
December/January 2005

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