I've had a bad cold this week which apart from the inevitable grumpiness, nose blowing and sleep deprivation, I've also had that weird urge to eat loads of crap. Never the phrase 'feed a cold, starve a fever' been more appropriate this week in my relentless pursuit of an unhealthy food-fest. Last night after work saw the car heading in the direction of Fleetwood and the best chippy in the world. Feeling momentarily guilty after gorging on lightly battered haddock and chips, I then got the urge for sweets. There's a little sweet shop in the back streets of Fleetwood which takes you back to 1960's Britain. It's a tiny corner shop nestled in a little back street which reminds me of stepping back in time to something like Wetherfield's Coronation Street. It's been there probably since the war and I think the shopkeeper still wears his demob suit. I wasn't holding out too much hope as it was now about 6.30pm but I thought I'd try anyway. Like a bright star on the horizon, all lights were on as I pulled up and I smiled when I saw there was a queue outside the shop. It seems the population of Fleetwood take their Friday night sweet intake VERY seriously..
Step inside the shop and you think all your birthday's have come at once. It's immaculately clean with sweets and confectionary lovingly laid out on display in an orderly fashion by the shopkeeper who obviously take pride in their shop. They knew every kid by name and every parent's name. There was order and not a hint of rudeness or bad behaviour from any of the kids. I noticed there was old fashioned scales and everyone asked for 'a quarter of...'. Ah yes, metric weights are a dirty word in this part of the world. Perhaps one of my favourite bits of this shop is the selection of ice cream and ice lollies. Bonds (a local ice cream company) supply the gorgeous varieties and the shopkeepers themselves make their own ice lollies. I kid you not - for a barnstorming 20p, you can buy home-made vimto, milkshake and cola lollies. They can't make them fast enough and they are supreme. Satisfied with my bags of midget gems, vimto bon-bons, and floral gums, I headed off home with a satisfied smile but a slight pang of worry that this shop is so rare and so unique and yet it will soon be gone and no doubt replaced by a 24 hour Tesco Express, Spar or Londis. But for now, and each time I venture into Fleetwood, it will gladly receive my patronage and I pray each night to the Patron Saint of Confectionary (St Cadburys of Bournville) that it keeps going just a little while longer..
And in a whiff of nostalgia, anyone growing up in the 70's and 80's might just remember these little confectionary items sadly no longer with us....
Aztec bar
Marathon (now Snickers -yuk)
Screwball ice cream
Space / Moon dust
Tiger Tots
Pacers
Opal Fruits (before they got the stupid Starburst name)
Spangles
Cresta (it's frothy man!)
Smiths crisps (square crisps with a blue square packet of salt?)
Edible cigarettes sold in packets of 10
Jolly Ranchers
Galaxy Counters
Ice Breakers
Pink Panther bars (strawberry pink flavoured chocolate?)
Cadburys Old Jamaica bar (rum and raisin flavour - deeelish)
I'm sure I've missed loads more but feel free to share your sweet and chocolate memories....
