Childhood sweeties grown-ups miss the most

MEMORIES of childhood and a longing for simpler times are fuelling a craving for retro treats such as Creamola Foam, Spangles and Vimto.

Nostalgic Britons are also yearning for the taste of Salt ’n’ Shake crisps, Babycham and Caramac, according to a new survey.

Many feel newer versions of redesigned products such as Wagon Wheels and Sherbert Fountain are poor imitations.

Among Scots, Creamola Foam makes them most nostalgic, with 30 per cent wishing it was more widely available.

Spangles was the discontinued product that people missed most, with 27 per cent of Scots and 16 per cent of people in the UK saying they wished it would be relaunched.

The survey asked people which taste of childhood they missed most. Although most of the sweets and drinks listed are still available, some are limited to specialist shops and online retailers.

Naomi Hare, co-owner of Lickety Splits traditional sweet shop in Edinburgh, said: “Creamola Foam is our best seller.

“It was actually the first fizzy drink. It came out of rationing because it used all the ingredients which were not rationed.”

Ms Hare said there was nothing like old-fashioned sweets for evoking the past: “It brings back people’s memories of childhood, of good times. People who come into the shop tell us all sorts of stories and we also get orders from overseas.”

Penny sweets, which used to be available in every corner shop, were the treat people missed most, while dandelion and burdock topped the list of retro drinks in a survey of 2,000 people.

People also said they wished they could buy packets of Opal Fruits, which are now called Starburst, or tuck into Marathon bars rather than Snickers, their rebranded name.

Scots were particularly fond of Fry’s Chocolate Cream, with 31 per cent saying it was still a favourite.

Food psychologist Dr Christy Fergusson said: “The food and drinks that we enjoyed when we were young often trigger powerful memories of the happy times we experienced growing up.

“A simple sight or smell is all the subconscious mind needs to transport us back to another time.”

Heather Jones, senior brand manager at Ben Shaws Traditional Soft Drinks, said: “Dandelion and burdock was introduced as one of four traditional flavours to our range shortly after the brand launched back in 1871.

“Having been enjoyed by generations of Brits, we believe it has truly earned its place as the number-one flavour in the nostalgic taste polls and we’re delighted to see the nation agrees.”

Matt Bushby, head of Friends Reunited, which conducted the survey, said: “The public is used to brands launching products all the time, but there is a continuing sense of nostalgia for things that seem to have been superseded by something else or simply taken off the shelf.

“We have recently been seeing the return of many retro foods and drinks, and we’d love our members to start campaigning for those they’d most like to see return.”

Sweets

1 Penny sweets

2 Fry’s Chocolate Cream

3 Caramac

4 Smiths Salt ’n’ Shake crisps

5 Lion Bar

6 Spangles

7 Pear Drops

8 Opal Fruits

9 Sherbet Fountain

10 Wagon Wheels

Drinks

1 Dandelion and burdock

2 Cream soda

3 Ginger beer

4 Tizer

5 Lilt

6 Vimto

7 Cherryade

8 Irn-Bru (south of Border)

9 Babycham

10 Um Bongo