Reminiscing about the delicious food, sweets and drinks we enjoyed consuming back in the 80s and 90s is one of our very favourite pastimes. It often pains us to realise that many of our old favourites aren’t even available on supermarket shelves anymore, although some are still around in a slightly different form.
How many of these delicacies of yesteryear do you remember back in the good old days?
10. Mint Custard
Of course we enjoyed consuming custard when we were young, because what child doesn’t? But who remembers eating a sponge pudding that was swamped in mint custard, a sauce that looked pretty disgusting but actually tasted extremely delicious?
Whilst we don’t remember our parents ever feeding us this green-coloured treat, it was often part of our school meal times, and we were always first in the queue when the dinner lady announced that there were seconds to be had.
9. Nerds
Tiny, tangy sweets that came in a multitude of flavours, sometimes two per box, Nerds were the ultimate candy treat during a weekly visit to our local newsagent in the 80s and 90s.
Whilst there were hundreds of things we could have spent our hard-earned pocket money on, the fact that we simply had to taste every single Nerds flavour meant they were always top of our sweetie wish-list.
8. Alphabites
Some may call them by another name, but to us they will always be Alphabites, the letter-based tea time treat that meant we never again complained to our mum about having to eat potatoes.
There may have been a small amount of frustration when we weren’t given the correct letters to spell our name, but Alphabites, especially when covered in tomato sauce, were so delicious that any grammatical concerns were soon forgotten.
7. BN Biscuits
Put a funny face on your food and you can be sure that children will immediately be more interested in your product than they were before, which was most definitely the case with BN Biscuits.
Whilst we only remember them coming filled with chocolate, we are reliably informed that BN Biscuits were also available in Strawberry and Vanilla flavour. Which was your favourite?
6. Neapolitan ice cream
How on earth did families cope when each member of the household preferred a different flavour of ice cream? Why, they purchased a block of Neapolitan of course!
Whether you preferred chocolate, vanilla or strawberry, or were simply happy to consume any ice cream flavour that you were offered, Neapolitan was always the answer.
5. Pacers
We were used to mint-flavoured sweets being hard, so when we became aware of the soft, chewy, minty Pacers, we never looked back.
Originally known as Opal Mints due to being released as a sister product to Opal Fruits (which of course later became known as Starburst), Pacers were sadly discontinued in the 1980s.
4. Tudor Crisps
Coming in a wide variety of flavours including Gammon, Spring Onion, Cheese and Onion and ickled Onion, Tudor Crisps were originally an independent firm working out of Newcastle, England.
Tudor Crisps were later bought by Smith’s Crisps who were themselves eventually snapped up by Walkers. Sadly the Tudor brand was discontinued in 2003 when Walkers decided to focus solely on their own crisp range.
3. Potato Smiles
If the aforementioned Alphabites didn’t bring a smile to your face, then McCain’s fluffy mashed potato-filled smiley faces were sure to get you grinning.
Prepared with sunflower oil to give them their crunchy taste, Potato Smiles are still very much available to purchase from your local supermarket should you be looking to treat the young (or old) members of your family.
2. Iced Gems
Tiny round biscuits with a swirl of hard icing on the top, iced gems were a children’s party food staple for much of our 1980s childhood.
Personally we found them a bit too dry and sickly for our taste, but did have friends who would happily consume them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if they could!
1. Angel Delight
It was (and remains) one of the most basic, affordable, easy to prepare dessert options available: simply mix with milk and allow to set. Even so, Angel Delight is truly a heavenly eating experience.
Whether you preferred chocolate, strawberry or the arguably under-appreciated butterscotch flavour, the light and fluffy sweet treat was always a favourite.