Guest Post: The North American Sweet Treats That I Miss Living in the UK
At the age of 10, I moved to Canada’s largest city – Toronto. In the eight years that I lived there, I developed quite a sweet tooth, and it is hardly surprising with all of the lovely bits of food that are on offer. It really doesn’t matter whether it is breakfast cereal or a mid-afternoon snack, they pretty much have every flavour available, and everything comes with a generous portion of sugar. Luckily I had a pretty fast metabolism in my youth, so I was able to indulge in plenty of sweet treats; I wouldn’t be able to eat them all now – but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss them!
If you are due to travel to North America this year, there are a few bits and bobs that you will certainly want to have a nibble of. Here are the things that I miss the most, just so you know where to start…
Cookies ‘n’ Creme Hershey bar
Hershey’s is essentially the North American version of Cadburys, although the flavour is very different. It is best not to compare like-for-like as chocolate in the UK seems to me as more milk based, whereas it is probably sweeter tasting in Canada and America. The best way to introduce yourself to the treats is though the Cookies ‘n’ Creme flavoured bar as there is really nothing like this in the UK. There is an amazing softness to it, with some lovely bits of crunch chucked in for good measure – delicious!
Junior Mints
I love After Eights, but they aren’t exactly the most practical to carry around in your handbag. Enter a box of Junior Mints, which are sort of thought of as retro sweets in North America. Despite this, the packaging hasn’t changed a huge deal over time, and the candy inside is as yummy as ever. It is basically a soft mint centre with a chocolate covering, shaped in a oval – not too dissimilar to a Minstrel.
Root beer
When I first moved to Toronto, I couldn’t stand the taste of root beer, having accidentally picked one up in a fast food restaurant. After time, my hatred for the drink had a complete U-turn, and I now find myself craving it. The closest drink you would find to root beer in the UK would be Dr. Pepper, but the flavour does differ somewhat. You need to try it to understand!
Wonka Nerds
Finally, I really miss snacking on a pack of Nerds. These little sweets pack such a flavour punch; they were ideal for sneaking into the classroom to make lessons go a little bit faster. My favourite flavours were Watermelon/Wild Cherry, and Sour Lemon/Green Apple – I do have a bit of a soft spot for sour sweets. Luckily you can find these in a few places in the UK so I do treat myself now and again, but I’ll be in Toronto this summer so I might stock up on these as they are essential!
