YE OLDE COMMUNITY CORNER SWEETIE SHOPPE

After hearing about some of the odd substitutes for sweets during the war last week, Kathleen Hill in Rochdale, Lancs, got in touch with her trip down memory lane.

She writes: “I was at junior school during the war and when the air raid siren went off, we all walked about 50 yards to the shelter. When we were going in, the teacher gave us all an

Oxo cube. Also Canada sent over chocolate powder and we all got some in paper bags. We just stuck our fingers in and sucked them until it was all gone.

“I remember one boy’s mum gave him some uncooked black peas to eat – and we all had some! On the first day of rationing, I bought midget gems – and I still buy them to this day.”

It’s no surprise uncooked black peas didn’t catch on. But someone who would have had the teeth for them is T Fairholme rholme in Beeston, Leeds, who says they still have the Bluebird hammer that came with a tray of toffee to break them into bite-sized pieces. Joan Walker in Stoke-on-Trent wants to bring back a blast from the past – Cadbury’s Grand Seville. She writes: “Back in the 1960s/70s I loved the orange flavour of the Seville chocolate bar and its dried fruit.”

Talking of dried fruit, we’re e fast approaching my least favourite time of year for candied peel. It seems particularly cularly cruel to ruin Christmas with h the stuff, but I can safely say Cadbury’s ’s Seville would not have been on my shopping list either. But we’ll bring it back just for you, Joan…

Join our Bring Them Back campaign aign at siobhan.mcnally@mirror.co.uk