Ye Olde Community Corner Sweetie Shoppe

Now and then I fail to find any old wrappers for a reader, like Tony Garratty from Sheffield, who writes: “I’m 60 now but I really miss an old sweet called Betta Bar. It was like a squashed Sugarpuff bar made by Matlows. If they came back I would buy a box of them tomorrow!”

But his letter led me to one of our country’s original sweetie firms, Swizzels Matlow, which is still making old favourites like Love Hearts and Parma Violets from its factory in New Mills, Derbyshire – sadly not Betta Bar though.

Started in London in 1928 by the Russian emigre Matlow brothers, the Blitz forced them to move the factory to New Mills, and 80 years later, it’s still being run by members of the founding family.

Interestingly, Parma Violets were originally invented in 1946 as breath fresheners for smokers and were sold in pubs, which is why they taste like Toilet Duck.

They’re made for kids now but they’re still an acquired taste. When my daughter used to get them in a party bag, she’d pretend they were “for mummy” rather than admit she didn’t like them.

In 1954, the idea to print messages on sweets was hatched and Love Hearts were invented. As many as 7,300 different romantic phrases have appeared on Love Hearts over the years, but my favourite will always be asking Neil O’Gorman to go out with me in 1978 with the immortal phrase, “Be Mine”. And he was – at least until break time when he dumped me for Vicky when she gave him her last Rolo.