Food/snacks/drinks you miss and would like back

[gazthomas]

Yes, those tinned sponge puddings were perfect, the right amount of fluffy even when microwaved. The new ones in plastic tubs, as you say, don't have the same texture.



I see a lot of people who miss this, but it was just a deconstructed sausage and egg muffin except with "scrambled" style egg not the steamed ring egg. I don't see why having it spread out instead of stacked inside the muffin made it better?
I think if it were to return it would have the steamed egg, as I think that's why they no longer offer it, easier just to produce one style of egg for breakfast (also the steamed ring eggs are cracked from fresh, whereas the "scrambled" egg use bottled homogenised egg, so I think its a better quality anyway.

I so much preferred the scrambled egg and thr deconstructed nature of the food. Plus a knife and fork!

 

[StKeverne1497]

Can I just say drinks with no sweeteners in general? I note the names above but would like to add Ribena, which not only tastes dreadful with sweetener but (the cordial) goes off much, much more quickly in the bottle. Obviously the sugar tax is the culprit and Ribena's audience probably wouldn't have stood the price hike. We don't drink vast quantities of sugary drinks, but the option of them would be good, on which subject, Belvoir (pronounced "beever") drinks have sweetener-free orange cordial (actually almost 50/50 lemon/orange), ginger, elderflower. There are a few other companies out there too (Bottle Green springs to mind). And surprise to me, but Sainsbury's has started doing an own-brand "traditional" fizzy lemonade without sweeteners.

Pear drops - they are still available occasionally at pick-n-mix outlets but they seem mostly to be the large type with granulated sugar on the outside rather than the smaller ones with icing sugar. There are often some in bags of Yorkshire Mixture. Failing that your best bet might be to visit somewhere like Blists Hill, St. Fagan's, Black Country Museum (I think) where they have recreated "traditional" sweet shops. The Black Country Museum has a chip shop frying in beef dripping too.

Icecream in rectangular cardboard boxes. Not the cheap stuff that used to be supplied like that, but the nice stuff I buy these days. In fact, old icecream flavours - plan ones like chocolate ripple. The people we buy icecream from (and have done since the mid 1970s) used to do a dozen different ripples, these days it's all what used to be termed "continental" flavours and the only ripple they do is raspberry, which was always, addmittedly, my second favourite after chocolate.

On the subject of which, chocolate icecream which is just chocolate. Not chocolate icecream with bits of chocolate or biscuit or dough or wafer in, just chocolate.

(I could go on)

 

[gg1]

Failing that your best bet might be to visit somewhere like Blists Hill, St. Fagan's, Black Country Museum (I think) where they have recreated "traditional" sweet shops.

There's another Black Country option, Teddy Grays, who have a handful of traditional sweet shops scattered across the area.

The Black Country Museum has a chip shop frying in beef dripping too.

Sadly they're not orange chips though, bit of a missed opportunity there.

 

[Rob F]

Curry flavoured Twiglets
PepsiMax Ginger
Hard Maynard's Wine Gums (gone soft)
Hard Rowntree's Fruit Gums in the yellow box, also gone soft.
Original recipe Yorkie before that went soft.

There is a pattern here, I think!

 

[75A]

The round clove balls, you can still get ones about the size of an Everton Mint over here but they're nowhere near as strong.

What about Marathon he Snickers..................

 

[ChrisC]

and bizarrely Crosse & Blackwell's "London Grill" which was beans mixed with sausage, bacon and kidney (!) in a tomato sauce - used to love that when away camping as a child. Miles better than the modern equivalent "Hunger Breaks".

Shops like B&M used to sell quite a variety of those mixed grill type products in tins from various brands at very cheap prices. Not exactly the London Grill you describe but various combinations of baked beans, sausages, burgers etc. I didn’t like them, but my sister did. They seem to have all disappeared from the bargain shops during the last couple of years.

I used to like curried beans which Heinz did but if I remember right I think Sainsbury’s did an even better one which included a few sultanas in with the beans.

Bourbon type biscuits that were shaped like custard creams and had a bit more filling so seemed much richer in taste. We had them at primary school in the 70s

I’d completely forgotten about those until a few weeks ago. I was staying in a hotel which provided small packets of biscuits in the room each day with the tea and coffee. One day I got a packet containing 4 of those bourbon biscuits that looked like custard creams.

 

[PeterY]

McVitie's used to bake a biscuit called Royal Scot, there were a thin round shortbread type of biscuit. How I miss those but it was yonks (a long time) ago.

 

[Strathclyder]

Ready Salted Chipsticks
Beef Squares
Cadbury Snaps (Lidl sell Choco Thins as part of their Mister Choc range though, these are the closest thing I've found to Snaps anywhere)
Mini Pringles
Highlander Crisps (I badly miss the Salt & Ground Pepper flavour)
Willy Wonka Chocolate Bars (those made to promote the 2005 Johnny Depp remake, so they ain't likely to ever make a comeback)

 

[jon81uk]

I’d completely forgotten about those until a few weeks ago. I was staying in a hotel which provided small packets of biscuits in the room each day with the tea and coffee. One day I got a packet containing 4 of those bourbon biscuits that looked like custard creams.

Its probably these https://www.hillbiscuits.com/6_hill-chocolate-creams-300g.html
They offer food service 3-packs for hotels too https://www.hillbiscuits.com/30_hill-mini-pack-100-s.html

I think Hill's biscuits can sometimes be found in B&M and similar stores.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Pear drops - they are still available occasionally at pick-n-mix outlets but they seem mostly to be the large type with granulated sugar on the outside rather than the smaller ones with icing sugar. There are often some in bags of Yorkshire Mixture. Failing that your best bet might be to visit somewhere like Blists Hill, St. Fagan's, Black Country Museum (I think) where they have recreated "traditional" sweet shops.

It's this sort of pear drop I'd be wanting... the glazed translucent ones about the size of a thumb.

 

[Amos]

Pacers (minty chewit type sweets, not the trains I hasten to add)

Would love to see pacers back (though again,not the trains).Also the Banjo chocolate bar,which was similar to a twix with peanuts.Had a really catchy advert that for some reason I can still remember the words to.

 

[HOOVER29]

Just looking back on things I miss, some which ain’t totally gone but at least have had there ingredients changed.

two of biggest ones for me that I often crave, and when I have I’m always let down are Lucozade original, and Irn Bru. Both have had significant amounts of sugar removed and just ain't the same no more.

keen to hear what things others miss!

Texan bar

 

[nlogax]

Ok, another three.

Bassetts Fruit Allsorts. Basically like the 'real thing' minus the bloody liquorice which meant they were actually edible. Such a shame they went the way of the dodo.
Altoids Tangerine Sours. A US favourite of mine. Don't think they were ever sold in the UK even though they were made here but they were like crack to me. Seriously the best sweet money could buy. RIP and all that.
Kellogg's Ricicles. Rice Krispies coated in teethrot, not sure breakfast got any better than that.

Texan bar

Such a good memory of my distant distant early 80s yoof. They briefly resurfaced fifteen years ago as part of some retro promotion and then quickly disappeared again. Gutting.

 

[Red Onion]

I’ve had a long yearning to try Tab Clear again. I really don’t know why, I can’t remember if it was ever good or not but it was all the rage when I was a kid.

 

[nlogax]

I’ve had a long yearning to try Tab Clear again. I really don’t know why, I can’t remember if it was ever good or not but it was all the rage when I was a kid.

It tasted like slightly off Diet Coke didn't it? Not unpleasant but didn't really have much zing to it.

 

[Red Onion]

It tasted like slightly off Diet Coke didn't it? Not unpleasant but didn't really have much zing to it.

I can’t really recall. I do suspect it is one of these yearnings that would result in major disappointment!

 

[Essan]

Top Deck lager and lime fizzy drink. (Enjoyed at youth club).
Quattro fizzy drink.
Nutty Bars.
Brannigans beef and mustard crisps.

Brannigans beef and mustard are the best crisps ever made!

 

[Ladder23]

Heinz treacle sponge in a tin. The plastic microwave ones are like rubber. I think Heinz had created too many varieties of puddings from about 3 so lost the plot.

God yes I remember those! The chocolate sponge in the purple label tin was brilliant.

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Brannigan’s ham and pickle crisps. Unbelievably strong flavour, made my lips go a bit numb

Smax - baked potato snacks a bit like fish n chips that you can still get

Seabrooks pickled onion flavour

Bourbon type biscuits that were shaped like custard creams and had a bit more filling so seemed much richer in taste. We had them at primary school in the 70s

Pacers (minty chewit type sweets, not the trains I hasten to add)

As for the pickled onion seabrooks crisps I can highly recommend something for you - Taylor's pickled onion crisps (I found them in a garden centre just a few days ago and they are 10/10, they don't seem to be quite supermarket available as such so may have to scout about online but we'll worth it!!) they're Scottish. All the flavours I tried from them were also great, cheese and onion, chargrilled steak..

 

[Trainguy34]

Kool-aid. Trricky to get (Amazon) bus amazing nevertheless

 

[GusB]

As for the pickled onion seabrooks crisps I can highly recommend something for you - Taylor's pickled onion crisps (I found them in a garden centre just a few days ago and they are 10/10, they don't seem to be quite supermarket available as such so may have to scout about online but we'll worth it!!) they're Scottish. All the flavours I tried from them were also great, cheese and onion, chargrilled steak..

Regarding Taylor's crisps, it's a rebrand of what was Mackie's crisps, so there may still be some shops out there that have the older stock. It's exactly the same product, but different packaging.

 

[Farigiraf]

Regarding Taylor's crisps, it's a rebrand of what was Mackie's crisps, so there may still be some shops out there that have the older stock. It's exactly the same product, but different packaging.

Good news, Tesco's got some! I'll have to try it

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/309160855

 

[McRhu]

Fry's Five Boys chocolate (as sold in station vending machines)
Playbox biscuits

...and Lanliq

 

[Ladder23]

Regarding Taylor's crisps, it's a rebrand of what was Mackie's crisps, so there may still be some shops out there that have the older stock. It's exactly the same product, but different packaging.

Wasn’t aware of that! Makes sence though as I loved those

 

[StKeverne1497]

McVitie's used to bake a biscuit called Royal Scot, there were a thin round shortbread type of biscuit. How I miss those but it was yonks (a long time) ago.

Known in our house as "squashed fly biscuits" (rather than the more traditional fruited shortbreads or Garibaldi) owing to having once found one that took that name too literally. My mum got a free selection tin and £10 (IIRC) worth of vouchers for that - in the late 1970s - so we were kept in biscuits for some time. My sister used to use the corrugated inserts of the packets as tables for, I dunno, some small dolls or something.


Hard Fruit Gums (in a roll as well as a box); definitely miss those, but I don't remember Wine Gums being significantly harder than they are today. Maybe it was the cold weather.

Chocolate. I don't know what happened to Dairy Milk - or maybe it's my taste - but I'm sure it isn't the same as it used to be (and Wispas are insipid these days). I know there was always "another" Cadbury milk chocolate which was used to keep costs down on coated products (e.g. Crunchie), but I'm sure Wispas and Creme Eggs used to be made from actual CDM. Then again, we mostly stopped buying it after the betrayal of a takeover, and my moan about icecream with bits in it applies here too. We still avoid buying Nestlé products having been supporters of the Baby Milk Action campaign many moons ago, but I can honestly say there isn't anything from their ranges that I've missed.

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Bassetts Fruit Allsorts. Basically like the 'real thing' minus the bloody liquorice which meant they were actually edible. Such a shame they went the way of the dodo.

The liquorice was the only edible bit. They would have been much more palatable without the coconut. The modern ones seem to have some sort of liquorice-flavour chew which I'm sure isn't at all the same as it used to be.

Spangles. Can you still get those? Not seen them for ages.
Fruity Polos, ditto?
Chocolate Angel Delight (or Instant Whip) - One shop around here occasionally has the only flavour of Angel Delight that didn't actually make you want to barf. Everyone else stocks strawberry (which was passable) and caramel, which was probably the worst offender.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Fruity Polos

They were nice but tended to stick together.
Strawberry Aeros.
Milk Tray bars if only for the lime barrel.

 

[Ladder23]

I also miss fruit pastilles before they went vegan friendly, whilst I can appreciate there efforts to cater for all, I dispise the the texture now as they're very much less hard an chewy.. a lot of sweets have gone the same way!

 

[GusB]

I also miss fruit pastilles before they went vegan friendly, whilst I can appreciate there efforts to cater for all, I dispise the the texture now as they're very much less hard an chewy.. a lot of sweets have gone the same way!

Could you put one in your mouth without chewing it?

 

[Flying Snail]

Ok, another three.

Bassetts Fruit Allsorts. Basically like the 'real thing' minus the bloody liquorice which meant they were actually edible. Such a shame they went the way of the dodo.
Altoids Tangerine Sours. A US favourite of mine. Don't think they were ever sold in the UK even though they were made here but they were like crack to me. Seriously the best sweet money could buy. RIP and all that.
Kellogg's Ricicles. Rice Krispies coated in teethrot, not sure breakfast got any better than that.

Apparently these from a small producer are just like the sour altoids but very expensive https://www.pd.net/products/tangerine-sours-secret-pre-order

I do remember Ricicles, on the Kellogs topic I'd be very happy to get the original recipe Special K back, the current product is awful.

Another vote for a return of non-sweetener drinks, I can't stand anything with artificial sweeteners and it is ridiculous how few options are now left for those of us who hate the taste of the stuff, even regular Pepsi now has sweeteners as well as sugar.

 

[Ladder23]

Could you put one in your mouth without chewing it?

Tried - very difficult !!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Just looking back on things I miss, some which ain’t totally gone but at least have had there ingredients changed.

two of biggest ones for me that I often crave, and when I have I’m always let down are Lucozade original, and Irn Bru. Both have had significant amounts of sugar removed and just ain't the same no more.

keen to hear what things others miss!

+1 for the Lucozade thing. All the fault of the "sugar tax", or rather of Smithkline Beecham's rather counterintuitive response to the "sugar tax".

As someone with diabetes, Lucozade was a very useful way of treating low blood sugar. I can understand the motivation of wanting to reduce the amount of sugars that children consume in fizzy drinks, but Lucozade was always intended as a different beast- the clue is in the name! I suppose one good thing about the changes is that I'm no longer restricted to diet coke at fast food places.

It's annoying when manufacturers introduce a "limited edition" flavour that's only around for a few months before it disappears. Recent(ish) examples include the Ginger version of Pepsi Max (which barely got promoted, yet the horrible Mango version they're currently pushing is plastered over every bus shelter), and the Berry Mix version of Bassett's Jelly Babies (another low-blood sugar thing, it's much easier to treat quickly when in a slightly incoherent state if I'm not having to avoid the lemon and lime ones!).

I'll also add my name to the list wanting the Maccy's Big Breakfast back. Another Fast Food item I want back is the Burger King Flamer chicken sandwich, which had a chicken patty without breadcrumbs and was originally served in a bun with oats instead of sesame seeds.