We continue our sumptuous sweet journey through the A-Z of sweets with the letter S – and there's a few absolute classics here!
From rainbow coloured candies to big nutty chocolate bars, we bring you the stories behind some of the most delicious confectionary beginning with S. Don't forget... lots of these chocolates, sweets and candies can be found in our wide range of sweet hampers, sweet boxes, sweet cones and other sweet gifts. The perfect treat for a special occasion, to treat yourself or the special people in your life!
Sweets and candy beginning with S
Skittles
The marvellous multicoloured fruit-flavoured sweets have been a favourite since the 1970s. First made in the UK in 1974, the origins of Skittles are, in fact, a bit of a mystery. It's thought that a local sweet making company made them originally, before making their way to the US, where they were acquired by the Wrigley Company, a division of Mars, Inc candy company.
Skittles are named after the old-fashioned bowling game that's still played in Britain to this day. flavours include strawberry, berry, lime, lemon, bubblegum, mango, apple, raspberry and pineapple. They also come in various different flavour collections, such as Wild Berry, Tropical, Dessert, Sweet Heat, Sour and Smoothie.
In the '90s, the tagline "taste the rainbow" was introduced, created by a New York advertising agency, leading to a boom in popularity. Although they are still very popular in the UK, it's in the US where Skittles' colours really shine – today, they are sold in candy stores throughout the US and are the 2nd most popular candy in the US, behind only Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Smarties
Whatever the question, Smarties have the answer. These delightful sugar-coated chocolate sweets are shaped like little lentils, come in a variety of colours and have been a staple of the British sweet scene for decades.
In actual fact, they've been around for well over 100 years! Rowntree's, the original makers of Smarties, first began making "Chocolate Beans" in 1882. In 1937 they were renamed "Smarties Chocolate Beans." The term "chocolate beans" was soon dropped, as Rowntree's thought it might be misleading.
Smarties come in eight colours – red, yellow, pink, green, orange, mauve, brown and blue. If you were born in the '90s or earlier, chances are you'll remember Smarties coming in tubes with a single letter on the lid. Kids would pour Smarties straight in their mouths, seeing how many they could fit in one go. They'd collect the lids to spell out words and use the tubes to create their latest arts and crafts masterpiece.
Fun times. The tubes were replaced with little boxes in 2005, as Nestlé looked to scale back on production costs. Over the years, different varieties of Smarties have been introduced, including Giant Smarties and Fruity Smarties.
Starburst
One of the juiciest, chewiest, fruitiest sweets on the market, Starburst are square-shaped soft taffy candy manufactured by the Wrigley Company. They come individually wrapped in different colours – the four original flavours were strawberry, lemon, orange and lime, which have since been expanded to include watermelon, mango, banana and apple.
If you're from the UK and was born in the '90s or earlier, you'll most likely remember that they used to be known as 'Opal Fruits', before being changed to Starburst in the late '90s. What you might not know is that they were originally known as Starburst when they were first introduced in the US in 1967.
Snickers
A big bold chocolate bar that packs a helluva punch, Snickers consist of a tasty nougat, caramel and peanut filling, encased in smooth milk chocolate. Since the 1980s, it's been associated with strength and power – particularly after Mr T ad campaigns, which ended with him saying "Snickers: Get Some Nuts!"
In the UK, Snickers was known as Marathon until 1990. In the US, however, it was always sold under the brand name Snickers – apparently named after a favourite horse of the Mars family way back in 1930. In fact, Snickers candy bars were the company's second product, after the initial success of Milky Way back in 1923.
Secret
To this day, pretty much anyone who tasted a Secret chocolate bar will tell you it's the greatest of all time. Sold in the late '80s and early '90s in the UK, it was one of a kind – a tubular 'bird's nest' design with chocolate strands, filled with a secret core of smooth, nut-infused creamy, chocolate truffle.
It was a thing of beauty. So why is it not sold anymore?
Nestlé made the decision in the late '90s to stop producing the chocolate. They gave the reason that production costs were too high – making the delicate shape of the chocolate was a difficult process and other more popular chocolate bars were easier to make. So, the Secret was up and this cult chocolate bar was phased out.
There are still hard core chocolate lovers who dream of the day when Secret makes a comeback. Stranger things have happened – remember the Wispa revival? It came from an online campaign. In fact, there's currently an online petition to bring Secret chocolate bars back. You never know!
Strawberry laces
A fruity, twisty, chewy pick 'n' mix favourite, strawberry laces, like strawberry pencil bites, have been popular for decades, particularly for those with a sweet tooth who like their candy to be fun as well as flavourful. It's not clear exactly when they were created – probably as far back as the sweet boom in the 1930s and 1940s. What is known is that strawberry laces have been a staple of sweet shops throughout the UK all the way through to the present day.
They were most likely inspired by the old bootlace liquorice sweets sold in prewar sweet shops – the strawberry twist catering to those who preferred a softer, fruitier flavour to the bitterness of liquorice.
Strawberry laces are also great for those who like to get creative – many people use them to decorate cakes and desserts!
Sherbet Dip Dab
Another retro candy favourite, sherbet Dip Dab are a fizzy, fuzzy, tongue-tingling treat that has wowed sweet toothed kids for many years. With its sweet and sour flavour, and unique design – a sachet of tangy sherbet and a fruity bright red lollipop for dipping dabbing – Sherbet Dip Dab is as much about fun as it is about flavour.
This sour lolly favourite was originally produced in the '70s, following the success of the similar sweet, the Double Dip. Today, Sherbet Dip Dabs are still popular and are sold in many sweet shops and online stores.
Sports Mix
Maynards Bassetts Sports Mix are a modern sweet mix that combine a variety of colourful fruit-flavoured hard gums, each one styled and shaped as a piece sporting equipment.
You'll find ice skates, cricket bats, rugby balls, tennis racquets, sailing boats and bicycles. The perfect treat for any sports-loving sweet toothed kids out there!
Sugar Daddy candy bars
An old time US classic candy, Sugar Daddies are essentially a big caramel chocolate bar on a stick. There have been many variations over the years, including the Sugar Mama (a bigger version of Sugar Daddy) and the Sugar Baby (see below).
Sugar Babies
Sugar Babies bite-sized, chewy, caramel semi-sweet chocolate treats that have been popular in the US since they were first produced way back in 1935. Apparently named after the old time song "Let Me Be Your Sugar Baby", Sugar Babies are made with slow cooked caramel coated with sugar candy for a delicious mix of creamy, crunchy chocolate.
These caramel classics are sold in a variety of different sizes, in boxes and pouches. They are especially popular for special occasions. Flavours include original caramel candy, caramel apple and caramel marshmallow.
Sour Patch Kids
Over to North America for some retro candy – Sour Patch Kids are cute little candies with a sour coating and sweet chewy centre. Created in Canada in the. 1970s, they started out as little alien-shaped candy, coinciding with the obsession with space and sci-fi in the 1970s.
Into the 80s, with the Cabbage Patch Kids craze, they changed their shape into little kids. Original flavours included orange, raspberry, lemon and lime. Later, there were new kids on the block – watermelon, peach and grape.
Sour Punch Straws
These iconic sour candies were all the rage in the '90s, mixing a sour sugary coating with a fruity burst of flavour, all in the shape of soft and chewy straws. They are harder to get nowadays – many places have discontinued them – but you can still get Sour Punch Straws from quality online candy stores.
Swedish Fish
Originally sold as homemade candy for the US market by Swedish candy producer Malaco in the late 1950s, Swedish Fish are fish-shaped candies with a chewy texture and fruity flavour. They were eventually expanded through the whole of North America after being bought out by Cadbury.
In Sweden, they were known as pastellfiskar – which translates as "pastel fish". In the US, they reached a peak of popularity in the late '70s, before falling out of favour with the public. In recent years, Swedish Fish have resurfaced, riding a new wave of popularity.
But what exactly is that flavour? Some say watermelon. Others say cherry. Well, according to manufacturers, Swedish Fish are flavoured with lingonberry, a popular fruit in Scandinavia that has a similar taste to raspberries and cranberries.
Spree
Created in the US in the 1960s, Spree are little tablet shaped candies with a crunchy shell. They come in a variety of colours and flavours, including red (cherry), orange, yellow (lemon) and purple (grape). Spree was originally made by Nestle, but is now manufactured by the Ferrara Candy Company.