You may have heard that Portugal is famous for its canned sardines…but what about its gummy sardines?
Gifted to me this summer by a colleague, this ridiculously fun can of gummy sardines is one of the best confectionary-themed souvenirs I’ve received in a long time!
The Portuguese have turned canning sardines, and other small fish, into an artform; a wide range of delectable flavours, contained in compact, tactile tins adorned with beautiful artworks and designs, Portugal’s treatment of the sardine is simply unmatched, and has become an edible cultural icon.
Packed in a real ring-pull, metal can; the novelty of the packaging for these gummy fish is simply wonderful! Once you pull back on the ring, the brass container slowly reveals, not oily, nutrient-rich rows of little sardines, but crystalized, colourful (slightly floppy) fruity fish-shaped gummies!
Gummy sardines souvenir from Portugal
The paper label with brightly illustrated fish is rather Dr. Seuss-esque, which only adds to the childlike charm of this sweet alternative.
Unfortunately, as is the case with most mass-produced edible souvenirs, the actual taste of the gummy sardines falls short; the lemon, orange, strawberry/raspberry and cola notes are extremely subtle. The lemon is too reminiscent of lemon-scented cleaning products, instead of being a fresh and zesty treat. Had they been sour or fizzy, it would have made for a better eating experience.
That being said, the charm and inventiveness of the container is what makes these Portuguese gummy sardines so inviting and fun; a sugary, kid-friendly parallel to a famous Iberian food.
Did you know that ‘Kinder Eggs‘ are illegal in the USA?
The ‘Kinder Surprise‘, also known as the ‘Kinder Egg’ was invented in 1974 by Michele Fererro – of the Italian dynasty that created the ‘Fererro Rocher‘ (1982) and ‘Nutella‘ chocolate-hazelnut spread (originally conceived in 1946).
The egg-shaped chocolate treat consists of a milk chocolate shell, which is lined with a creamy confection and contains a small toy kept safe in an orange yolk-type plastic capsule. Unfortunately, it is this novel idea that makes the European children’s favourite banned in the USA …
‘Kinder Surprise‘ vintage French advert (“Different surprises all fantastic and exciting”)
In 1938 the American Food and Drug Administration deemed any consumable that contained a ‘non-nutritive object embedded’ is not allowed. Although the ‘Kinder Surprise‘ is available in neighbouring countries Canada and Mexico, they will be confiscated if you are found smuggling these treats across the border!
In order to satiate the cravings for a child-friendly treat and toy combo, in 2018 Fererro released the ‘Kinder Joy‘ into the American market. Although it is also egg shaped and contains a miniature toy, the ‘Kinder Joy’ greatly differs from its Italian cousin the ‘Kinder Surprise’.
The packaging is made of two halves stuck together that have to be peeled back to reveal the goodies inside: one half contains the toy, the other contains a scoopable chocolate and creme spread with two cocoa wafer balls.
The differences between ‘Kinder Surprise’ and ‘Kinder Joy’ eggs
Similar…but not quite the same.
‘Kinder Surprise‘ toys in the past have ranged from farm yard animals, dinosaurs, cars and trains, Disney princesses, space aliens, Transformers, cowboys and ancient warriors. Some of the earlier toys were even hand painted!
‘Kinder Suprise‘ is not just for Easter either, these ovoid treats are enjoyed by children all year around…just not American children!
Well aren’t I the lucky one? I have received another tasty parcel from the lovely people at True Treats Candy – America’s only researched-based sweet shop! This time they’ve asked me and their other tasters to review a small selection of ‘vintage’ American chocolate bars (all in miniature); ‘Big Hunk’, vanilla ‘Charleston Chew’, ‘Peanut Chews’ and ‘Butterscotch Smoothie’ peanut butter cup.
Sweets provided by True Treats
Now, I have had the pleasure of sampling all but one of these candies before, but lets see how they compare side by side…
First up is the vanilla ‘Charleston Chew’. Created during the roaring ’20’s, this chocolate enrobed nougat, taffy-like bar was created around 1922 (some sources say 1925) and took its name from the popular dance craze at the time – the Charleston. It is chewy, sweet and ever so slightly chocolaty. This bite-sized piece is just the right portion if you don’t like picking out toffee from between your teeth!
But if you like a good chew, or a piece of candy to gnaw away the afternoon on, the regular sized Chews are best left in the fridge or freezer first before consumption – that way you end up with a treat that tastes like ice cream and gives a satisfying chewy chomp.
‘Big Hunk’ (or ‘Little Hunk’ in this case) is also a nougat based candy bar, sweetened with honey and includes peanuts. Produced by the Annabelle Candy Company, who also make ‘Look!’ ‘Rocky Road’ and ‘Abba Zabba’ confectioneries, the ‘Big Hunk’ has been around since the 1950’s.
The taste of the honey nougat is very strong and naturally sweet. And even though this fun-sized piece is naught but a mouthful, the taste of roasted peanuts comes through and offers a small change in texture when eaten. This flavour profile reminds me of my seaside home back in the UK (I now live in Wichita, KS) as nougat bars are a seaside staple in all souvenir shops.
Both this and ‘Charleston Chew’ are extremely…chewy! And they’re a lot of fun to eat.
Goldenberg ‘Peanut Chews’ are a regional favourite in and around Philadelphia. It is a bar that consists of roasted peanuts, formed together with sticky molasses and coated in dark chocolate. Created in 1917 it one of America’s oldest candy bars. This small piece is chock full of big peanut pieces and although the molasses gives it a good chew also, the nuts give ample crunch and it’s a great combination of textures. The smooth, rich dark chocolate compliments the earthy sweetness of the molasses (something that I do not enjoy in my sweet treats).
Having also previously tried the full sized Peanut Chew, I much prefer this little Halloween-sized portion as the molasses profile develops much later in the mouth…and then it’s gone!
I have eaten my fair share of peanut butter cups in my time: in my late teens there was an influx of American candy imports to the UK and Reese’s was one of the most obtainable treats. But even though I’ve lived in the US for over a year now, I’ve still not tried a ‘butterscotch peanut butter cup’…until now!
Boyer were the first candy company to create a ‘cup’ candy treat in the 1930’s with the ‘Mallo Cup’. Instead of a chocolate topping, Boyer’s butterscotch peanut butter cups are made with a buttery, caramel-like golden candy. Butterscotch itself is traditionally made with sugar, butter and cream and is a cousin of the fudge and toffee family – the Boyer Smoothie cup definitely is reminiscant of these flavours.
Much sweeter than chocolate, the butterscotch cup would be borderline sickly if any larger, yet is oddly morish and reminds me a little of the golden chocolate bar ‘Caramac‘. It is a delightfully different take on the American candy staple of a peanut butter cup.
In summary, what a great little selection to showcase some of America’s long-running candy bars! Most of these sweets are still produced by the original company – and unless we continue to buy and eat regional treats such as ‘Boyer Butterscotch Smoothie‘ cups and ‘Big Hunk‘s, they are at risk of eventually being squashed by the Big Three (Mars, Nestle and Hershey)!
Save America’s candy history…eat a ‘Charleston Chew’!
Hello New Year! And ‘Hello Panda‘ on this week’s Wrapper Wednesday!
‘Hello Pandafun filled biscuit treats‘ have been produced by Meiji, Japan, since 1979 and can be found in a wide variety of flavours; here are just a few that are within in my collection…matcha green tea, caramel, coconut and chocolate.
The sweet, moreish, printed biscuit vessel is perfect for mixing and matching flavours and adapting to themes, holidays and seasons. For example, the caramel box features the Panda characters engaged with a variety of sports, where as for the coconut edition they can be found enjoying a tropical vacation.
Each cookie is printed with a Panda taking part in one of up to thirty different sports, and are either round or panda-head shaped.
Apparently, despite being created in Japan, the ‘Hello Panda‘ range is no longer widely available in the country. Some have speculated that the cookie’s international success meant that producers Meiji have focused on foreign markets rather than home sales.
The ability to pick ‘n’ mix tastes and themes makes ‘Hello Panda‘ biscuits/cookies a treat that can be easily enjoyed all year round and for any occasion (not that we need an excuse to enjoy these tasty Japanese-origin snacks).
Oooh, only a few more days to go until Christmas day! And here on Wrapper Wednesday we’re continuing the theme of festive posts with today’s feature ‘Whoppers Snowballs‘.
Festive malt balls
‘Whoppers‘ were created in 1939 by the Overland Candy Company (Chicago) and were originally sold under the name ‘Giants‘ until 1949 when they were bought by Leaf Brands: later acquired by Hershey in 1996.
They are a chocolate-coated malt ball treat, and despite the tagline ‘be an original’, arguably they are the American version of UK-born ‘Malteasers‘ (created three years earlier in 1936 by Forrest Mars).
For the holiday season these morishly malty sweets have been coated in a white vanilla creme and packaged as ‘snowballs’. It’s a simple, yet very cute, way to adapt a product for the winter season. ‘White’ versions of popular snacks and chocolates are very popular over Christmas, and the ‘Whoppers‘ perfectly spherical shape allows this to be an easy and affective transition.
And being associated with the broader theme of ‘winter’ rather than ‘Christmas’, this packaging could appeal to a wider range of American customers.
Black, or traditional, liquorice seems to be a flavour that divides opinion and appears to be less revered among younger generations. Today I have two black liquorice sweets up for review that might tempt you to give it another try if you are not so keen on this traditional flavour…
Liquorice (English spelling) or licorice (American spelling) has been used in medicinal tablets, suckets, comfits and cakes for centuries and arguably was one of the first ‘flavours’ to transcend its homeopathic history into the realm of established confectionery.
Australian sweet company Darrell Lea was established in 1934 by English immigrant Henry Lea, and named after his youngest child. The Aussie company is well known for their range of traditional and fruit flavoured liquorice as well as chocolate bars and confections that combine the two.
These ‘soft’ liquorice allsorts are some of the chunkiest I’ve ever seen! And despite their name being ‘soft’, I actually found these to be rather firm. Due to their generous size I also found them a little difficult to chew in one mouthful (those with bigger gobs might not have the same issue). But despite a minor jaw ache, they tasted great.
Chunky chunky licorice allsorts by Darrell Lea
Layered with black liquorice and fondant infused with coconut these allsorts are a great combination of sweet and bitter flavours. However, considering these are ‘allsorts’, I was also a little disapointed to find that all the sweets were of the same variety, albeit, different colours.
Liquorice Allsorts originated in 1899, England, when a travelling salesman for the Bassett’s confectionery company, accidently spilled his samples across the counter of a potential buyer. Up to that point Charlie Thompson had struggled to sell his array of sweets, but when the customer saw the jumbled up mix of liquorice, fondant and sprinkle-coated sweets, he said he would happily buy this random assortment together.
Darrell Lea’s Liquorice Allsorts lack any other variety other than the liquorice/fondant sandwich. In a typical mix you may also find a ‘spog’ (aniseed flavoured jelly covered in candy sprinkles), coconut ring, and small chunks of ‘pencils’ (fondant filled black liquorice rolls) to name a few. If Darrell Lea’s assortment also included some of these then it would be a very fine assortment indeed.
Gustaf’s ‘Licorice Ice‘ somewhat resemble a nub of chalk…but taste much better! Interestingly enough the Dutch word of ‘licorice ice’ is ‘schoolkrijt‘ or ‘krijtjes‘ (say kri-teous). This peppermint flavoured liquorice sweet was invented in the 1960’s by a small candy factory in Amsterdam. The company today produce a wide variety of liquorice-based sweets; black and fruit, salty, allsorts, belts, laces and and tablets.
The white outer shell is thin, sugary and crunchy. After biting through it there is an extremely sweet taste followed by the strong, herbal flavour of black liquorice. The cool peppermint comes through last, floats around at the back of the teeth before all three balance out and linger in the mouth.
Gustaf’s ‘Licorice Ice’ from the Netherlands
‘Licorice Ice’ is definately the sweetest black liquorice product I’ve ever tried, and I think for those of you who aren’t too keen on this traditional taste, something with a flavour profile such as this might be a good ‘gateway’ liquorice product.
For me, the sweetness is a little too much. I obviously prefer a more earthy root taste to my liquorice sweets…each to their own…but the overall impact of Gustaf’s ice is very pleasant.
And there you have it! Are you pro-black liquorice? Or do you prefer the soft, Aussie, fruity kind? Or can you not abide the whole thing in general?
It’s Wrapper Wednesday! And today we’re blasting up into the sky and back to the future with this retro looking ‘Spaceman‘ candy sticks box.
‘Spaceman’ candy sticks
Made by kiwi confectioners Carousel, ‘Spaceman‘ candy sticks have been a retro favourite among New Zealanders for the last fifty years. Its funky, stylized space design is reminiscent of 1950’s sci-fi B movies and the craze for space during the race of the late 1960’s.
The design was so popular that when Carousel bought Bonza Confectionery in 2006 (the original makers of the candy sticks) and decided that the retro Spaceman needed a cartoony face lift, there was such an outpouring of grief and dismay, that the original cool Spaceman subsequently returned to the carton a few years later.
And why would you want to change such a fantastic design? It’s space. It looks vintage (which is a very popular aesthetic these days), and for decades remained unchanged allowing adults to stay in touch with one of their childhood favourites.
Under Bonza production they were also known as ‘candy cigarettes’ and featured a red tip in order to make the sweet appear as if they were lit. A global health and ethics movement eventually saw ‘candy cigarettes’ be rebranded as ‘candy sticks’.
Whether they are candy ‘sticks’ or ‘cigarettes’, that ‘Spaceman’ design is a keeper!
It’s Wrapper Wednesday! And we’re up in the North West of England (my home turf) this week with this fabulous sweet tin by the Stockport-based Squirrel Confectionery Company.
‘A Piper And Pair of Nutcrackers’
This medium sized tin is adorned with a colourful rendition of Sir Edwin Landseer’s ‘A Piper And Pair of Nutcrackers‘ (1864). Landseer is most famous for his portraits of animals, in particular his painting ‘The Monarch of the Glen‘, which features a large stag; but also his sculptural work, including the lions at the base of Nelson’s Column in London.
Inside on the lid is a fantastically bright illustration of the company name and trademark squirrel mascot. This is quite a common feature amongst Squirrel Confectionery tins, with the lids sometimes describing what was inside; ‘Clear Gums’ and ‘Gums’ for example (mine does not).
Inside the lid…
During the late 19th century it was very common to find images of famous paintings or works of art adorning chocolate, sweets and biscuit tins; this trend was carried well into the 1950’s and 1960’s (which is where I think my tin is dated from).
The Squirrel Chocolate & Confectionery Co. opened in Stockport in 1930 having been previously founded in 1832 as a grocery business. Over the decades the name has changed several times, but they continued to produce and trade in jams, preserves, tea, coffee and confectionery.
According to the remnants of a torn and tattered paper label on the tin, this container once held cherry lips – a small, hard gum-based sweet. And was sold at one shilling (1/-) per quarter (approx. 5p per 113g).
Cherry lips – a sweet shop favourite
Despite passing through many hands since the 1980’s, the Squirrel brand still produces cherry lips and floral gums under its parent company Tangerine (located a few miles away from my old home in the seaside town of Blackpool).
Squirrel’s great graphics, bold text and tactile tins make them a very popular collector’s item these days!
Is it a pineapple? Is it guava? Is it a lime? Is it a cucumber? It’s all of the above and none at the same time! It’s the feijoa, in the shape of Pascall ‘Feijoa Lumps’.
The Australia/New Zealand-based confectioners Pascall have their roots based in 19th century Britain. Brothers James and Arthur Pascall established their business around 1866 – prior to this James had previously worked as a Cadbury salesman.
Having been tought the art of sweet making by their father, the brother’s successful company produced a range chocolates, liquorice, bon bons and hard-boiled candies. Pascall is now most famous for their mallow-based confectionery, including ‘Pineapple Lumps’ and ‘Snifter’s Lumps‘, as well as producing mint chews, gummies and wine gums.
Now, a few years ago I was sent some no-brand feijoa gummies from New Zealand – and they certainly left an impression. Imagine Haribo Giant Strawbs…that taste of Deep Heat (a muscle pain relief spray).
I am pleased to say that Pascall ‘Feijoa Lumps‘ are much more palatable! But that strange medicinal ‘Deep Heat‘-like flavour still lingers.
Pascall ‘Feijoa Lumps’
The fresh feijoa fruit (say fey-ho-ah) is described as tasting like a cross between a pineapple and guava…nope…I’m not really picking that up. And appears like a lime on the outside, but resembles a cucumber on the inside.
The lumps have a great, hard chew and are enrobed in dark chocolate…which oddly compliments the rather unique taste of the green feijoa chunk. The taste is so hard for me to liken to anything else, I ate almost the whole bag just trying to get my head around it!
A little bit of Deep Heat, with a note of acidic pineapple-like juice, and soothing mouth feel of a cucumber on acid?
Green lumps
These are so strange, and oddly enjoyable! If you’re looking for a new sweet sensation, I would recommend trying these Pascall ‘Feijoa Lumps‘. If you are familiar with either these, or the fresh fruit (which is native to South America) please, please, tell me how you would describe the taste! As this is just a tricky (and fun) one for me to try and describe!
It’s time for another round of ‘Who Does It Best?‘ – a comparison of two versions of Cadbury’s famous chocolate ‘Mini Eggs‘.
In the yellow corner we have the British-born (now Polish-made) Mini Eggs. And in the purple corner we have the American-made Mini Eggs, made under the Cadbury licence by the Hershey Company.
The original British Cadbury Mini Eggs were first manufactured in 1967. These egg-shaped chocolates, coated in a candy shell come in pink, purple, white and yellow and have an adorable brown speckle pattern in order to further mimic a small bird’s egg.
Notably, the Hershey variety lack this distinctive speckle splatter and as such the colours are less muted. They share the same colour scheme as their British cousins, but also include a blue egg in the mix (a colour that was dropped from the British line-up).
Both wrappers use a similar ‘Mini Egg’ font, feature images of the similar-looking treats, and make use of the gold ‘Cadbury’ signature…but do they taste the same?
British Mini Eggs (yellow) American Mini Eggs (purple)
In short…they’re similar! But not the same.
Like with most Hershey-made versions, the chocolate is less creamy and silky compared to British-made chocolates. There is a strong sweet, artificial smell when you open the bag, and the chocolate (for me at least) leaves an almost smoky aftertaste.
The British Mini Eggs have a sweeter aftertaste, and the milk chocolate, is, well, ‘milkier‘.
But, the crunch from breaking the sugar shells on both versions is crisp and makes for a pretty good eating experience. I just find British Mini Eggs so much more moreish! Once again, that probably comes down to me preferring the types of confectionery I grew up with (ingrained bias perhaps).
Spot the difference…
There is good American chocolate out there! I just can’t taste it in Hershey-made imitation Cadbury.
But you tell me if I am wrong! Which Mini Eggs do you prefer? British? American? Or how about Canadian, or Australian Mini Eggs? Either way, have a tasty Easter!
Did you know that the pocket mints ‘Tic Tac’ are Italian?
Invented in 1969 by Michele Ferrero (son of the Ferrero founder Pietro), the little pellet-shaped mouth refreshers launched in their original mint flavour. The founding family established their company in 1946, Alba, Italy, after inventing a hazelnut/cocoa mixed confection called ‘Giandujot‘ – the precursor to ‘Nutella‘.
Initially called ‘Refreshing Mints’, in 1970 they were rebranded into ‘Tic Tac’ – an onomatopoeic name taken from the sound made from the ‘snap’ of the plastic lid opening and closing.
Adverts for Tic Tac featuring anthropomorphic mints
The handy container was especially designed in order to filter out one sweet at a time (but who else here rattles the box around until they have a small handful)?
Over the decades Tic Tac has produced a wide variety of flavours (with matching colour schemes); orange, lime, cherry, cinnamon, apple pie, mango, Coca-Cola, berry, strawberry, wintergreen, pink grapefruit and peach lemonade to name a few. However, in some markets all Tic Tacs are produced white and their flavours advertised by different coloured boxes and labels.
Handy pocket-sized containers make Tic Tac a convenient candy
Ferrero, a now billion-dollar, multi-national company, still produces the handy little ‘1 1/2 calorie breathmints’ today.
It’s Wrapper Wednesday, and here’s a blast from the past!
Ok, it’s not an original ‘Opal Fruits’ wrapper, it is a limited edition throw-back wrapper from earlier this year, released by manufacturers Mars Wrigley.
Retro 2020/2021 Opal Fruits wrapper
Now branded as ‘Starburst’, the original line up of flavours lemon, lime, strawberry and orange were invented in the UK in 1960. The fruity, chewy sweets that were ‘made to make your mouth water‘ were renamed ‘Starburst’ in 1998 in order to standardise the line with other markets (such as the American market, where they were initially called ‘M&M’s Fruit Chewies’ until late 1960’s).
These days lemon and lime have combined into the one flavour in order to introduce a blackcurrant variety to the pack.
I only ever remember the days of ‘Starburst‘ being ‘Starburst‘, despite the name change happening during my childhood. But for those who grew up with ‘Opal Fruits‘, the temporary re-branding saw a wave of dewy-eyed nostalgia wash over shoppers with a sweet tooth. We remember fondly the sweets we grew up with. And despite the basic candy recipe and flavours remaining the same, the name change affects how we associate food with memory.
It’s Wrapper Wednesday! And just because I am now in the USA, it doesn’t mean that I won’t be sharing confectionery hits from the UK. So, to prove my point, I give you a very Scottish sweet wrapper – Oor Wullie’s Iron Brew Bon Bons.
Despite the confectionery term ‘bon bon’ originating from France, these bite-sized balls are Scottish through and through; as you can’t get any more Scottish than Iron Brew!
Inspired by the classic Dayglow-orange fizzy pop ‘Irn Bru‘ (1901, Glasgow), these chewy sweets further emphasise their Scottish-ness with the use of comic strip character ‘Oor Wullie‘. This Scottish scamp first appeared in the Sunday Post in 1936. Published by DC Thompson (The Beano, The Dandy) and illustrated by legendary cartoonist Dudley D. Watkins (Desperate Dan, Lord Snooty) ‘Our Willie’* celebrated his 80th anniversary in 2016, and was voted Scotland’s Favourite Son in 2004, beating the likes of Sean Connery and William Wallace!
These ‘braw‘ sweets and wrapper (that means ‘pleasant‘ or ‘fine‘ to non-Scots) are delightfully cheery, and they were deliciously tasty.
I personally am attracted to any sweets, candy or treats that are flavoured with the iconic tonic as it is such a unique flavour and endemic to the Scottish land. I have a feeling though that Irn Bru/Iron Brew may be a rare find now that I’m in mid-west America!
Ok, it’s not specifically a wrapper, but it is confectionery memorabilia, and as such it has now entered my small but growing collection.
This vintage ceramic mug celebrates Cadbury Caramel (UK) and its previous sultry-speaking ‘Bunny‘ mascot.
‘Take it easy’ with the Caramel Bunny
During the 1980’s and 1990’s Bunny appeared in a series of animated commercials. Her dulcet tones, big eyes and sensual patter encouraged other woodland animals to ‘take it easy’ and to enjoy the smooth and indulgent confectionery treat of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Caramel.
The anthropomorphic sort-of-sex-symbol was voiced by actor and voice actor Miriam Margolyes, better known for her appearances in Blackadder, Doc Martin, Merlin, Dickens in America and Professor Sprout in Harry Potter.
Apart from Freddo the Frog (who was originally an acquired Australian invention), Cadbury today appears to lack this type of fun, bright and engaging spokes-animals in their products and campaigns. Anyone remember the Taz bar and Mr. Cadbury’s Parrot? Perhaps there’s no room for a flirtatious bunny and spinning Tasmanian devil in today’s confectionery world…
Do you know what ‘romantic’ sayings the Victorians and Edwardians had on their love heart sweets?
In the 1900’s, Yorkshire’s Joseph Dobson created ‘conversation lozenges’; small, tablet-sized hard candies stamped with quotes such as ‘Take Ye Not To Strong Drink’ and ‘Honor Your Parents’. Whereas these reinforced the strict Victorian morals at the time, they didn’t exactly melt the heart with affection, much like our modern day versions do today.
Around the same time, fellow confectioner and Yorkshireman Joseph Terry (Terry’s Chocolate Orange) was also creating sweets with stamped mottos, however these were considerably more risque! With messages such as ‘I Want A Wife’, ‘How Do You Flirt‘ and ‘Can You Polka’ (a lively European courtship dance), Terry’s conversation lozenges were much more ‘in the spirit’ of giving sweets and chocolate as a form of fun, affection and appeasement.
February 14th, Valentines Day, is a symbolic holiday filled with love, affection…and of course confectionery! British market leaders Swizzels Matlow came onto the scene with their fizzy, sherbet tablets ‘Love Hearts’ in 1954 – a round, flat chalky sweet with embossed cutesy messages such as ‘Kiss Me’, ‘All Yours’, ‘Be Mine’ and ‘Dream Boy’.
Initially released inside Christmas crackers, Love Hearts sweets proved so popular that they were then launched as a stand-alone product and have dominated the UK Valentines confectionery season since.
Our American cousins also have their own version that predate Dobson’s rather sober Victorian messages. In 1847 Necco founder Oliver R. Chase invented a machine that cut wafer candy disks; his brother later began to print messages onto the candy and by 1901, these had evolved into the heart-shaped romantic Love Heart rivals ‘Sweethearts’.
So, what do you think? Should we bring back the old Victorian Love Hearts? If we did, what mottos should we use?
The British Candy Connoisseur 