As a young child, do you remember your grandparents or parents ever giving you pocket money to spend in the local sweetie shop? One of my fondest memories of my grandparents has to be when they gave me a whole 1.00 GBP (1.30 USD) to spend in a corner shop, which from the eyes of a 5 year old, was like I had won the lottery and got free reign in a palace of sweeties, i.e. the local sweetie shop. Little did I know how really famous the traditional British sweets shops were at the time and how fondly they were enjoyed by not only children but adults too. This is because the traditional British sweets shop bring back positive memories for everyone; there’s something just so special about them and I’m going to share insight on one of the most traditional British sweetie shops out there: Goodies of Lincoln.
Goodies of Lincoln with its customers from age 2 to 102
Like tea, coffee and alcoholic drinks (for some), sweeties have a physiological and consoling effect and its doubtful that you won’t experience this during a visit to Goodies. With the origins of candy tracing back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, the British have certainly taken a liking to it and Goodies has become a real go-to place.
Located at 5 The Strait, Town Centre, Lincoln, LN2 1JD, Goodies is open from 10.30 am–5.00 pm from Monday to Friday and from 1.00 pm–4.00 pm on Sunday. It began life in June 1998 and is situated on the historic Steep Hill. It is snuggled amongst different buildings and is in close proximity to Lincoln Cathedral. It boasts having customers aged 2 to 102, which you won’t find hard to believe if you decide to venture inside.
A visit to the sweet sensation of Goodies will have you reminiscing about your childhood memories from the moment that you see its eye-popping display and enter the small but packed with goodness shop. So, if you’re recovering from walking down or prepared to walk up Steep Hill, just pop in and get a memorable experience and sugar fix, which won’t disappoint.
Retro sweets including pear drops, apple cubes and bon-bons
Whilst Goodies has a small exterior and interior, this traditional sweetie heaven has over 300 ranges of sweets available within it and is located inside a building that is over 600 years old. In my view, it’s the hallmark of a traditional sweet shop in that it has a vintage till, a counter-top weighing scale, the little white paper bags for your goodies and it is loaded with jaw-dropping multi-coloured treats in its glass jars. If you want to give into your sweet tooth and reminisce, then Goodies is a great place to find all your favourites, including and especially those retro sweets.
Care for some pear drops? Pear drops date back to the Victorian era and are one of the most popular boiled sweets and surprisingly there is no pear involved in its creation. The green colour of the pear drops is due to the artificial flavour of isoamyl acetate, which also gives it its rather distinct taste. A small paper bag of 100 g (3.52 oz) of these pear drops at Goodies costs 0.99 GBP (1.30 USD). Alternatively, perhaps the following boiled sweets invoke good memories for you: apple cubes, banana and custard cubes or blackberry and raspberry cubes.
My all time favourite would have to be the legendary bon bons. Bon bons originated from the French royal court in the 17th century and the word “bon” means “good” in French and my goodness, bon bons are simply the best. They’re so good that Austrian composer Johann Strauss II even composed a waltz named the Wiener Bonbons. At Goodies, you can enjoy the following types of bon bons: raspberry, rhubarb and custard, strawberry, toffee and even Vimto bon bons. A small paper bag of 100 g (3.52 oz) of bon bons costs 0.99 GBP (1.30 USD).
Delightful decade boxes from the 1930s–1990s
If you can’t decide what to pick and you’re looking for a gift to wow a family member or friend, then the decade box at Goodies must be given thorough consideration. The decade boxes contain retro sweets and are from different eras such as the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Each box contains a range of sweet memories from the decade that you pick and will certainly have you or a recipient reminiscing about the good old days. Just so that you can have an insight as to what’s exactly in these decade boxes, I will share a few with you.
The 30s decade box includes 50 g (1.76 oz) bags of herbal tablets, aniseed balls, sugar almonds, crystallised ginger, jelly babies, black bullets, treacle toffee, butterscotch and clove drops. The 50s decade box includes 50 g (1.76 oz) bags if cherry lips, floral gums, satin cushions, shrimps, gobstoppers, alphabet letters, sherbet pips and one sherbet fountain, one candy snake, one candy necklace and two anglo bubbly sweeties. The 70s decade box includes 50 g (1.76 oz) bags of cola bottles, candy sticks, pink pigs, fizzy wizzy, jelly worms, kali, chocolate rainbow drops, flying saucers and two packets of popping candy and two lollipops. Each decade box costs 9.95 GBP (13.30 USD).
It’s not only sweeties and decade boxes that Goodies is known for but also its wonderful supply of homemade fudge. It offers chocolate fudge, fruit and nut fudge, ginger fudge, mint fudge, rhubarb fudge and so many other types. The price for a small paper bag of fudge is 1.80 GBP (2.40 USD).
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Every positive memory of your younger years is there
Whilst you may be too old for pocket money from your grandparents or parents, you’re never too old to enjoy the flavours from the sweets from the years. Whether those sweets are sweet, sour, chewy or crunchy, they will do wonders for bringing back fond memories of your childhood. Every memory of your younger years is there to be discovered in the traditional British sweeties shop and Goodies is a good place to kick start that positive experience. The employees in the store also won’t mind if you take your time to ponder and decide which sweeties take your fancy, as they’re quite used to having customers marvelled by the magnitude of fantastic choices. If you want to get a more interactive and visual insight to the historic Goodies, check out their website which will allow you to have a virtual tour of this quaint and cute sight that is full of sweetness.
History
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