Which retro treats do you miss?

This your weekly shop Ian?

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I think that my all time favourite may be lurking in Ian’s trolley-Cadbury’s Milk Tray in bar form. This was the same size as a normal bar of chocolate (they were all small in those days) and had about eight different chocolates fused into a slab of chocolate.

You had a TV in the ’60s. Duncan? Lucky. All we had was an empty box and me dad, showing cut-out pictures from worn-out copies of the Radio Times each week, and moving them to the outside loo when we finished watching them. You had it easy.

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I think it’s time you bought one of the new editions, Duncan. It has colour pictures now and is no longer full of garden shed and corset adverts.

Thanks, Ian, for bringing Clarnico Mint Creams back into my recollections. Are they still available? I seem to recall having some a few years back from a boring standard-sized packet rather than the attractive box you mentioned.

And from the confectioner’s jars – a lovely boiled sweet was Needler’s Glace Fruit Drops that were very long lasting and in half a dozen flavours/colours. And what became of Sharp’s Kreemy Toffees? – The mint ones were delicious. No wonder our teeth rotted!

I’ve searched Images online of the box; it was hexagonal in cross section, with the sweets displayed unwrapped behind the cellophane wrapping, but I can’t find it.

Courtesy of etsystatic.com

Thanks, Ian. That’s a nice old jar. 1970’s vintage I would guess. Confectioners’ jars are plastic nowadays.

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Yes, Ian – I’m still on the lookout for Clarnico Mint Creams – senza chocolate covering though!

Where’s the tooth, then?

I had a tooth cracked by a lemon sherbet boiled sweet probably about age 13. Never touched one again.

Ian, as you are a budding poet, did you know it is National Poetry Day on 6th October? I have suggested an annual poetry event on Which? If you think it is a good idea, perhaps you would like to give it the thumbs up in the ideas section.

If I may recycle an anecdote, I was once eating Thornton’s Brazil Nut Toffee and found I was chewing a hard white lump. It was not a foreign object but part of my tooth. 🙁 I’ve gone off toffee.

Maybe Ian could be the next poet lorry ate.

Ouch 🙂

Good idea Alfa; I’ll give it a tick.

Thankfully, unlike @wavechange ‘s experience, my tooth is mostly intact. The remainder went under my pillow; alas I found out that the toothfairy doesn’t pay a visit for cracked teeth, so as I recall it ended up in the bin…

It would have been more obvious if it had been liquorice toffee. Apparently chewing French bread (my dentist said) is a common way to find structural defects in our teeth.

My sweetie is far from nostalgic. I like genuine Jelly Beans. However, there is a selection called Bean Boozled where there are pairs of identically coloured beans but with totally contrasting flavours – one nice, one masochistic (or should it be sadistic?). Of course if you take the challenge you do not know which one you will get. They contain both natural and artificial flavours, Just as well if you explore the options. To get a “flavour” of the range: Buttered Popcorn/Rotten Eggs; Tutti Frutti / Stinky Socks; Peach / Vomit.

Well, would you suck these? 🙁

Ah yes, I chipped a tooth on french bread too – I haven’t been very lucky really…

Malcolm, this sounds suspiciously like Berti Bott’s Every Flavour Beans from Harry Potter, this is Dumbledore tasting an earwax flavoured bean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSyIuFOPHDI

French Bread fracturing a tooth sounds a bit like a consequence of Breaxit. Hopefully the hazard will disappear in a couple of years when a large tariff is imposed.

I remember when my dad barbecued Mars bars. What you might not realise is that when Mars bars cool after being heated, the caramel goes rock hard. This led to two of my gran’s teeth snapping… :O

I expect the Aussies do this Patrick; they’ll barbecue at the drop of a hat. Are you being treated to lots of barbies and amber nectar?

I wonder what other people’s most unusual barbecued food is – apart now from Mars Bars?

Deep fried Mars Bars is one national speciality (I understand). Perhaps we could try Mars Bar Alaska?

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Today’s Mars bar is a pale shadow of its former self – shorter, thinner, less chocolate and tasteless filling. Maximus glutinous > minimis satisfax.

Er,…it’s satisfactionem, actually… (scuttles off stage R)

Yes, I knew that Ian – I wanted to avoid showing off my Latin declensions. Anyway, too many syllables.

🙂

Shouldn’t we be giving Mars laudare for obesus reductionem? Seems the sweetie suppliers cannot win really.

I think it’s bellum against the sweetums 🙂

Non possum credere me totum edisse…

Tu porcellum, amo scelerisque. 🙂

🙂 Die dulci fruere.

(This must be confusing the heck out of those browsing the index page)

Yes – it’s time you produced another poem, Ian; it’s long overdue.

Funny you should say that..,.

Ian – National Poetry Day has arrived, so perhaps you can add a little colour to other Convos.

Funny you should say that indeed, Ian has created a little treat for you all today here: https://conversation.which.co.uk/travel-leisure/poem-national-poetry-day/ 🙂

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Duncan,
SHOPPING is the new religion…..just have a look at the crowds outside IKEA ten minutes before opening on any Sunday morning.

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Well, if you think I’m setting that to poetry, think again 🙂

I would like to hear a read out of this to the tune… 🎶

Hi @patrick,
How are you doing over in Oz? Are you finding it interesting? I think they have very similar issues that we do. When do you get back?

Hi Alfa! Yes it’s very interesting working at Choice. You’re right that we do have similar issues that come up. Some of the challenges they face, we have overcome in the UK, and visa versa. It’s good to see another company working on similar issues and how they are approached.

I’m helping them specifically on building a community and growing their campaign supporter base, which is what I do at Which? (as you all know!). At the same time I’m picking up new ideas that I can bring back with me. I’ll be back in December Alfa so you’ll hopefully see more of me at more reasonable hours!

Just to comment on treats – are Lion bars still around? I used to like them

Hi Patrick – How about setting up a Choice Conversation, open to everyone. Competition is good… 🙂

Wikipedia informs me that: ‘In recent years, the Lion Bar has been dramatically reduced in size, which has caused controversy among fans.’ Presumably they want it renamed ‘Lion Cub’.

My goodness, you have excelled yourself, Ian. You have included discounters I’ve never even heard of.

Lehrer did a memorable adaptation of this Gilbert & Sullivan piece.

It was Lehrer’s that provided the inspiration, plus I’ve produced Pirates three times, the most recent being with the BBC Manchester Orchestra (now BBC Phil). The final doublet rhyme is wrong, though; I only realised reading through it some time later.

I wonder how many have heard Lehrer’s cringeworthy rendition. I like your ending but following Lehrer it would be something like: “And there may be many other [discount stores], but they haven’t been disc-o-vered”.

Yes – I briefly pondered Harrod’s as the penultimate line end, but it’s not really a discount store…

Lehrer was typically University humour, and incredibly funny. A slightly sardonic tone when performing you can only imagine what his Maths lectures must have been like. Along with Flanders and Swann, one of the greatest satirists of his age, I believe. I saw him live in New York and he brought the house down. I saw Flanders live in Bolton but his humour was mismatched to the audience, sadly.

I used to play Lehrer’s ‘Lobachevsky’ when running workshops to discourage plagiarism. Happy days.

Hello Patrick, I’m afraid that this comment is off-topic. Can I please request that you ensure your comments align with Community Guidelines. Thank you

@ldeitz, perhaps you would like to introduce a Convo on this topic – way Which? operates and its governance? The best place would be on the Member Community, but as this seems to exclude many Which/ subscribers and is very very underused there seems no other forum available.

I believe Patrick did mention Choice first. I thought readers might like to know more about the charity he is currently assisting.
*I’m in Australia working as a consultant at Choice. But I’ll be back before Christmas. If you have any questions about Aussie treats let me know.”

He also mentioned he might pick-up some ideas. I do hope Shonkys are on of them.

Hi Malcolm, thanks for the suggestion but I’m unsure that this would be suitable for Which? Conversation. Convo is, after all, open for all to engage with and so such a discussion would exclude non-Which? members. Like you say, this would be better suited to the member forum for Which? members to discuss.

Comments about Which?, providing they are on-topic, aren’t discouraged on Convo. But, surely you understand my concern that off-topic comments will prevent others from joining in on the discussion.

I agree, but only to some extent, Lauren. I think such a discussion should take place between all members who are interested but there is no suitable place to do this. I believe the Members Community should be the place but I understand not all Which? Members can access it. It is also very little used.

It is frustrating when there are topics that involve the way Which? works that they seem not to have a place for discussion, and they rarely – if ever – get a response from Which? Major ones involving governance and policy should be the province of the AGM or direct communication, but many other day-to-day issues deserve discussion. I have, for example, repeatedly asked if Which? have examined a suspect Indesit tumble drier, asked about misleading information on cars and energy prices for example, but no public response.

Which? does aim to reach the public in general; its activities do affect them and therefore perhaps they should be able to add their comments and suggestions.

I’m sorry we are off topic – maybe the “new Which? Conversation” is the place for this kind of general discussion. But if Which? responded more often to questions asked of it in Convos some (but not all!) of the frustration might be allayed. 🙂

Hi Malcolm, I do take your comments on board. I will ensure that more questions are answered and I’m sorry that you’ve not had responses to some of your questions. I don’t want any of you to feel like we’re not listening, but I understand that it comes across that way. We should be answering your questions and I’m sorry that we haven’t yet

Thank you Lauren. 🙂

I would need a glass of asbesto milk before my stomach lining could cope with those, Tweetiepooh.

I remember curry flavoured Twiglets about 10 years ago. They were so good, I wrote to the company and asked them to keep making them, but no luck.

You don’t know what you’re missing John 🙂

Perhaps not, Alfa, but even the regular Twiglets can be troublesome for me. The problem is that if left in a bowl at a social occasion I cannot resist them but pay for it later. They also induce additional drinking which is probably the primary intention.