The Sweet Shop Down Memory Lane, Curious Candy, Bangor. Nostalgic Delights Part One.

This is the first in a series of blog posts reminiscing about nostalgic foods, drinks and meals from the 1970s and 1980s.  

For this post I enlisted some expert help, in Paul the owner of Bangor's classic, traditional sweet shop, Curious Candy. Michael & I had lots of fun exploring all the shelves the compact, but filed to the brim little shop in Bangor's Central Avenue holds.

As well as the nostalgic treats featured in this blog post, the shop has almost every jarred sweet you can imagine, plus a whole section of imported American Candy, like birthday cake flavoured M&Ms. If you don't live where I do, but want to buy any of the products featured, you can visit the Curious Candy online shop  . So without further ado, on to the retro sweeties, which do you remember?

Pink shrimp, sort of foamy, remember them? 

The classic, "get that for you Dad' sweet

Peanut candy

Almost too cute to eat

What about this lot? Any of your favourites? Sherbet Pips, Fruit Salad, Alphabet Letters, Fish & Chips, Jazzies. 

Bangor Rock, Midget Gems, Black Jacks, Floral Gums, Cherry Lips. 

So, are there any I've missed that you have fond memories of munching? Let me know on Twitter @rudedoodle, or ask Curious Candy @curcansweets if he has any in stock.  You can also connect with Curious Candy on their facebook.

This was my purchase today, along with super sour Warheads for Michael, as he's watched lots of YouTube challenges featuring them. If you've seen the Bean Boozle Challenge going around vloggers, and want to get your hands on a pack, Curious Candy will be getting a supply of the totally curious candy Jelly Belly beans this weekend. 

Cherry Heads, Stock Up on the Sweet Stuff at Yankee Pop

I love cherry flavoured drinks and sweets, and the Americans seem to do too. A whole lot more of their candy includes cherry, rather than the British go-to 'red flavour' strawberry.​

Yankee Pop import and sell US sweets, chocolates and groceries to the UK market and they have a whole orchard filled with cherry popping products. The Kool Aid is a treat!​

Yankee Pop- a Wealth of American Candy for us UK Folks

Yankee Pop have kindly fed my chocolate habit, my American chocolate habit to be exact. If you want to buy American sweets, you have plenty to choose from on Yankee Pop.

They also run competitions and special offers, so if like me you are a bargain hunter, it's worth adding their Facebook page to keep up to date with the latest news.​

Win a Trip to California with Jelly Belly's Hunt for the Great British Flavour

Jelly Belly lab coat. That's right.

This being such a patriotic year has got the undisputed King of the Jelly Bean brands, Jelly Belly, pondering. They are pondering and wondering, what would be the Great British Jelly Belly Flavour?

God love them though, with their American ways, they are a bit confused about us Brits. They do enjoy things that taste like Root Beer after all- which our UK tastebuds recoil in terror from screaming, "WHY ARE YOU DRINKING DEEP HEAT MUSCLE RUB?!".

I donned my lab coat and got experimenting, well, in my mind. I suppose if we are being honest a Great British Bean might be Donner Kebab, or if you're thinking more posh a roast beef and mustard jelly bean? Of course that's a horrible thought, but Jelly Belly in the States aren't shy of straying to unusual flavours. A few years ago I ordered some imported Jelly Belly which were sold as a 'Russian roulette' pack. Half were delicious regular beans, half had flavours like pencil shavings & ear wax. So, hit them with your oddest suggestions, because we know Jelly Belly have the technology to make a bean taste like anything!

Here's the most exciting part- if you suggest a flavour on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/jellybellyUK and they pick your invention, they will fly you out to Jelly Belly HQ in California to oversee them making your bean! Get on it!

American Candy Haul, Curious Candy, Bangor N.I.

I can't remember how I ended up on local business Curious Candy's Facebook page last night, but I spotted American sweets, and as you can see, I've already been down to buy them up.

Curious Candy is a traditional sweet shop in my home town of Bangor, Northern Ireland. Rows & rows of vintage sweets, old favourites as well as new confectionary (Jedward popping candy bars, anyone?).

First photo shows my haul, and I hope they won't mind that I've borrowed some pics from their page to show you the store.

You can join their Facebook here www.facebook.com/CuriousCandy