Hey Lovelies, 

Think back to when you were little. What foods and drinks did you use to enjoy? For me, popping to my local corner shop or listening out for the ice cream man was always a treat. Penny sweets. Huge Haribo strawberries. Multi-coloured liquorice whips, which were best in rainbow, cola, apple and strawberry flavour. Slush Puppie's. ZZapp ice lollies. Panda Pops. Oh, the list is endless!

Being a 90s child, I was proud to grow up with these delights. I am even prouder to know that I am a member of the generation who got to enjoy Turkey Twizzlers in all their glory. Yes, I know they weren’t healthy, but they were delicious. With all this food talk, I didn’t think it was right, even in my condition, to do a retro week and not feature some of the best vintage treats there was around. Some in fact that you may have forgotten but can still buy.

When I first planned this post, it was going to be a little different. I wanted to do a taste test blog. However, with everything that happened and with family members coming and going with no time to fit it in, it wasn’t working. This caused me to sit back and think about what I could do. Then the amazing Swizzels Matlow team stepped in and saved the day.


Many of us in the UK will pick up a bag of Swizzels delights this year. Whether they be for you, your children, partner, friend or family members, the bags are always a mixture of pure beauty and choice to have. Drumsticks. Fizzers. Parma Violets (not the gin kind). Squashies. Love Hearts. All made by Swizzels and all enjoyed every day. There is in fact not an occasion or time in which these sweets aren’t called upon or suitable for.


There so, when they kindly reached out to me and offered me the chance to work with them, I couldn’t help but get excited. For me, Swizzels were the sweets that I would treat my school friends to in primary school on my birthday (anyone else’s school do this?!?). However, I would always have to have first dips on certain ones. They were the brand that supplied the Pic’ N’ Mix sweets that would go on top of my McDonald’s birthday party cake. The Love Heart Lipstick also being claimed by me off it. Plus, the best of all. The 1p sweets that I used to get from our local village post office and corner shop as a little girl.


Receiving a boxful of goodies was there so a very exciting day in our house. With a lovely note inside, the team sent me a real gem of a box. Treats galore shall I say of vintage classics that my whole family could recall a memory with. From my brother’s deep love of Parma Violets and Double Lollies to the recounting of the Love Heart sweets my mum once filled my dad’s car up with one Valentine’s Day when we were little. Every sweet brought back a memory of a time gone by. Making Swizzels a real firm favourite in our house.

Seeing the 1p boxes of Fun Gums sweets was what really pulled at my heart though. Getting a £1 off my mum and being able to pick out the likes of the fizzy cola bottles and teeth and toothbrushes (I bloody loved these) into a brown paper bag was always special to me. A real treat in many ways. We didn’t have a lot when we were little, so when we got to have treats like this it meant something. It made the memories we have and without Swizzels making them, I wouldn’t have those happy times.


It may sound super cheesy but looking through the box and seeing my family enjoying them and recalling memories from them made me feel all warm and happy. They are a brand that you don’t really think about, but when doing this post, I could see that they had been there for a lot. Even the newer creations such as Squashies had been enjoyed with a memory that will last the years. Much like they will.

Along with the Swizzels treats, I did also try and find some other classics on the market that I could recall. Some of my finds including Space Raiders (still 10p!), Chewits in the ice cream flavour, Babol, Chupa Chups chewing gum lollies and Gumballs. Rainbow Drops, Sherbet Fountains, Candy Sticks and Double Dip packets. Pink Panther wafers and ToffyPops biscuits. Plus, some classic gummy burgers and pizzas. All of these we used to buy as a treat and savour every mouthful of. Now, you can get them for really affordable prices, which makes me love them even more because that means that the retro sweets, we used to love don’t have to cost the earth to be loved all over again.


There was also a hint of sadness with creating this post, as I learned that some of our old favourites were no longer. On a search to find Um Bongo, I couldn’t find it anywhere and when I reached out to see why I couldn’t find any McVities BN biscuits, I discovered that they are no longer being made in the UK. A horror all on its own.

I would just like to say a massive thank you to the Swizzels team for the treats and for all the memories over the years that have come with them. It may seem strange, but when you think about its food plays a big part in our lives and the memories that we make. For me, buying Swizzels 1p sweets always makes me happy and doing this post with them brought a lot of laughter and smiles into our home, as we recalled what we loved best.


Plus, the fact that my dad literally sat on Love Heart sweets on his way to work one year. I am going to make sure that my nieces and nephews grow up and enjoy Swizzels in the same way, starting with lots of Swizzels Halloween goodies, I think.

Whatever decade you are from, I know that many of you will have enjoyed lots of amazing sweets/foods over them, including Swizzels and I would love you to tell me about them. Which one brings back fond memories for you? Is it a classic 99 ice cream at the beach? A Love Heart sweet filled day with your sweetheart? Were you a fan of a classic Space Raiders crisp? Or did you want to just delve into Snaps crisps instead? Whatever it may have been let me know which classic sweets/food you loved best and why in the comments below or via social media lovelies!