Hard candy

[nwhiker]

Over the past years in the US, I've noticed the tragic decline in the availability of hard candy. I mean, it used to be Jolly Rachers (not my fave, better than nothing, toss the watermelon or give them to someone who likes them) were available anywhere, even sometimes in single flavor mixes, now it's hit and miss, they've been replaced by gummi Jolly Ranchers. Etc. At this point, the only reliable hard candy is Werther's and even they have a soft version that I've bought by mistake. Cost-Plus/World Market used to be a reliable source of several kinds of hard candy, but they were gone the last time I was there. Now, it's amazon only, and while I am ok buying my beloved Fox's Glacier Mints there -a brand I know-, it's been hit and miss otherwise. Plus amazon often only sells large quantities, and I don't eat candy often enough that they won't get stale before I finish them.

It seems gummis have taken over the world, to the delight of my kids (and dh too), who love Hi-Chews, gummi bears/worms etc.

Me? I love hard candy. I'd almost say that I like hard candy more than I like chocolate, so maybe it's not a bad thing that it's less available. Fruity -preferably truly sour, not just with a coating of citric acid-, coffee or tea, mints -mmm hard mints, preferably the hard one that shatter if you crunch them, though those are harder to find-, pretty much any hard candy. Dudes, there is a reason I stare at reels by StickyLollies on Instagram!

For some reason, I've always associated the UK with delicious hard candy. My mom's friend, who was English, used to bring us hard candies when she traveled to the UK and Cost-Plus/World Market used to have a nice selection of the crunchy stuff.

But now, here? I'm finding mostly.... gummis. Lots of them.

Could it be a global phenomenon? Have gummis taken over the whole world? Or have I just not discovered the place in the UK to get delicious sour balls of hard fruit candy?

The Quest is one, LOL, and only time will tell! :-)

Comments

[camelsamba]

Good luck on your quest! I discovered chocolate limes when I was in England eons ago (a lime flavored hard candy with a squishy chocolate-ish inside). But on our recent trip to Cleveland, we stumbled on a candy warehouse kind of place, where Matthew acquired a bag of Reed's butterscotch hard candies, which taste noticeably different from Brach's butterscotch discs. But I forget if they had other hard candies, other than Reed's. I do remember lots of gummis, because I was looking for a specific kind that Toby likes and they didn't have them.