1. The Texan Bar
image source: ebay.co.uk
The delicious Texan bar was just one of many casualties of 70s/80s snacks, as it was completely discontinued at the end of the 1980s. The Texan bar was the perfect combination of delicious nougat and toffee, topped off with chocolate, of course. Delicious!
2. Pacers
image source: thetelegraph.co.uk
If you see sweets that are green and white, then you know you’re in for a minty treat! Pacers were not a hard mint candy but a soft, chewable one – the best kind – and maybe the clue was in the name to pace yourself with them because they were so moreish! They sadly went away in 1985.
3. Bovril
image source: reddit.com
Being British means you either grew up with a Bovril-drinking family, or you grew up not being able to think of anything more disgusting. Bovil was a beloved ‘drink’ mostly during cold football matches, but it became a comfort drink. Back in the day, there’s no doubt the smell of Bovril defined our childhoods!
4. Spangles
image source: thetelegraph.co.uk
Spangles were one of many juicy, fruity sweets from our childhood, but they were one of the best. Spangles were hard boiled sweets – perfect for avoiding your ears popping if you were taking a flight – with a variety of colours and flavours. In a tagline that would be controversial today, they declared “The sweet way to go gay!”.
5. Fish ‘n’ Chips Crisps
image source: amazon.co.uk
Is there anything more fun of a snack than crisps shaped like something else? Fish ‘n’ chips crisps were some of the best, even though it made no sense why they had to be shaped that way, it for some reason made them all the more exciting to eat – and delicious all the same!
6. Drifter
image source: reddit.com
The original Drifter bar was out in the 1980s, and it was the perfect midway point of chocolate bar versus biscuit. The Drifter bar was the right amount of crispy, while still being soft and delicious, with caramel and milk chocolate. It’s a travesty that they aren’t big these days.
7. Marathon Bar
image source: reddit.com
We know the Marathon bars are still available these days as trusty snickers, but there was just something about them being called Marathon bars as a nostalgic piece of our childhood! Marathon felt like a more exciting name – almost like you were allowed to have one after a workout.
8. Opal Fruits
image source: reddit.com
We also know them as Starburst, of course, but just like Marathon, the original name of Opal Fruits has something more nostalgic about it! These were definitely some of the most addictive sweets that were juicy and fruity – and we all had our favourite colour, didn’t we?
9. Trio
image source: foodbev.com
Trio delivered on its promises by providing three layers of perfect snack: a crunchy biscuit base, toffee cream in the middle, and then delicious chocolate on top. If you were only allowed one snack as a kid, you definitely tried to get more for your money by choosing something with triple layers!
10. Findus Crispy Pancakes
image source: reddit.com
Sometimes we wanted a delicious savoury snack instead of sweet, and Findus crispy pancakes were definitely what we were craving! These pancakes, even though still available today, were at their peak back in the 80s with their original recipe. Perfect with extras like chips!
11. Arctic Rolls
image source: reddit.com
Back in the 1970s and 80s, Arctic Roll was the dessert – it was sophisticated enough to be perfect for dinner parties and Christmas, but casual enough to still be allowed as a laid back treat. The delicious ice cream paired with sponge was the perfect snack when you had a hankering.
12. Banana Butty
image source: reddit.com
Just like Bovril, this is definitely one of those you either loved or hated. But back then, when you were strapped for time, cash or maybe just feeling lazy, chopped banana on bread was the perfect filling snack. And because it was banana, it felt more like a healthy option!
13. Crisp Sandwich
image source: reddit.com
If you didn’t like banana, the next best thing of course was crisps piled on bread. Even today, the crisp butty is incomparable to fill the void when you’re feeling peckish! And because you have a world full of every crisp flavour you can imagine, there’s really nothing stopping you.
14. Semolina
image source: reddit.com
Semolina ended up being the go-to school sweet treat we could all relate to, and although it had a weird name – and looked even weirder – there’s no doubt this takes us back to our school days in the 70s or 80s. Whether you chose to eat it or not, everyone knows about this one!
15. Steamed Meat Pie
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If there’s one thing the British do right, it’s a good meat pie – and this has always been the case, from the 70s and still going on today. A steamed meat pie was so versatile, because you could have it on its own for a lunch, for an afternoon snack or pair with chips and gravy for a more substantial evening meal!
16. Blancmange and Jelly
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Jelly was the perfect treat for birthday parties – there was no occasion when jelly wasn’t a good idea! For the British, those wobbly jelly cubes were the pinnacle of family get togethers or something you found in your grandma’s cupboard. Paired with blancmange, it was perfect!
17. Chip Bap
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Every British family had at least one night a week when they’d get their dinner from the chip shop down the road – and the best option when you just wanted something stodgy and filling was a big fat chip butty of course! There’s debate in the UK what you call that particular piece of bread, but we won’t talk about that.
18. Instant Noodle Sandwich
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Instant noodles are the pinnacle of lazy snacks, or if you were growing up as a school kid or college student. So to make it one better, we did the only logical thing, which was to put noodles on bread so it felt more like a full main course than a silly snack! The result? It tasted awful.
19. Toast Dipped In Coffee
image source: reddit.com
Okay, it’s likely you’ve either heard of this or you haven’t – but for some families in the 70s and 80s, dipping your toast into coffee counted as a genuine snack. We know about dunking your biscuits into tea, so this is the next best thing. Did you ever do this? Do you know someone who did?
20. Angel Delight
image source: reddit.com
Angel Delight has to be the most well-known and popular dessert for British people – so much so that it’s stood the test of time and is still available today. Though most of us will remember it as a family favourite back from our childhood when our mum made it for Sunday treat!
