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.

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 them in all their glory. With all this food talk, I couldn’t host a retro week and not feature some of the best vintage treats there ever was. All with the help of the amazing Swizzels team, who 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, friends or family members, the bags are always a mixture of pure beauty and choice to have. Drumsticks, Fizzers, Parma Violets, 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.

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 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 from them was therefore a very exciting day in our house. With a lovely note inside, the team sent me treats galore. A box full of shall I say 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 Hearts 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 really pulled at my heart though. Getting £1 off my mum and being able to pick out the likes of the fizzy cola bottles and teeth and toothbrushes into a brown paper bag was always special to me.

It may sound cheesy but looking through the box and seeing my family enjoying them and recalling memories made me feel all warm and happy. Even the newer creations such as Squashies had created memories that will last the years. Plus, with them now available in bags at an affordable price, the retro sweets we used to love don’t have to cost the earth to be enjoyed, making me love them even more.

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 it food plays a big part in our lives and the memories that we make. For me, it was buying 1p Swizzels sweets. Now, 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.

Guest blog by Joey Tamburello

Original blog post: https://letsstartwiththisone.blogspot.com/2019/08/retro-foods-sweets-swizzels-dream-makers.html