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Barratt’s Sherbet Fountain is a classic sweetie that’s been around for years and is still available today. Â Sherbet is a sweet white powder that fizzes on the tongue, and the Sherbet Fountain consisted of a cardboard tube full of the stuff, with a length of liquorice stuck inside which is what you were supposed to eat the Sherbet with. Â The idea was to lick the liquorice, then dip it into the sherbet.
Personally, I hate liquorice, so I used to give the liquorice away to whoever wanted it, then tip the sherbet into a bowl and eat it with a spoon. Â Yum! Â That’s why the Sherbet Dip Dab was really more suited to my tastes, as I preferred the strawberry lolly.
Having said that though the old Sherbet Fountain still has a place in my heart for its packaging. Â A strip of cardboard was bent into a tube and wrapped with some yellow and orange paper. Â The tube was filled with the liquorice and sherbet, and the end of the paper pushed in to seal the tube, leaving the stick of liquorice poking out the end. Â This made the sweet look like a firework or a cartoon stick of dynamite, so you could get a good few minutes worth of fun pretending to blow things up before you got tucked in.
Only trouble is, Barratt’s are switching the classic packaging that’s been around for donkeys years to a new plastic tube. Whilst it looks pretty much the same there was always something comforting about that old paper and cardboard wrapper, and besides, surely paper is better for the environment than plastic?
In an attempt to right this wrong our favourite online sweetie shop, A Quarter Of, have set up a page where you can vote on whether or not you like the new packaging. Â In the name of all that’s good and pure I implore you to lend your support to their campaign! Â The following link will take you to the voting page, and whilst you’re on the site, why not pick up a few Sherbet Fountains for old times sake!
April 29th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
I read this in one of the free newspapers the other day – I can’t believe they’re changing the packaging! It’ll be like Smarties – rubbish. I’m off to vote.
April 29th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Yeah, you’re right about the Smarties tubes, they’re rubbish now they don’t have the little plastic cap with the random letter on the underside.
April 30th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Will be a shame to see it change, although I’m surprised the liquorice sticking out the top hasn’t been banned due to health issues etc. I mean, think what you could catch off the open end. (being sarcastic).
Talking of smarties, what where the letters all about anyway? They tubes where great afterwards, could use them as “guns” for shooting the plastic lid at each other by squeezing the tube….oh what fun..
April 30th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
I never understood what the letters were for in the Smarties tube lids either.
I assume it was an attempt to get kids to complete the entire alphabet. As I recall the lids were different colours too, so to be a completist you’d need every letter in every colour…
April 30th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Yeah, you’re probably right, not a bad way to sell your product. I suppose as kids you wouldn’t question what the hell you do with them when you’ve got them all.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Top confection. I must have one.
May 2nd, 2009 at 2:36 pm
My wife is visiting her sister at the moment, but phoned to say she had bought me both a Sherbet Dip Dab and a Sherbet Fountain (in the classic paper packing still too) so I’m looking forward to scoffing those on her return.
May 12th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Well B&N bargains were selling them for 19p each or something so i got stocked up on them ooooh collectors items!!!
May 13th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
You may jest about them being collectors items but don’t be so sure! I remember reading about a guy who raided his son’s sweet tin and found a packet of Opal Fruits which he devoured. Trouble is the son was keeping them after they changed their name to Starburst. Apparently the bloke managed to track down a pack of Opal Fruits to replace them, but paid a pretty penny to do so!
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
The new packaging didnt put me off. i thought it might mean i would have less trouble getting the very last bit of sherbet out but when i sat down to enjoy my little treat……… EEEWWWWW LEMON FLAVOUR SHERBET.. what is this trash? did they not think i would notice?? gross. will never buy one again.
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:34 pm
OMG!
You mean Sherbet Fountain is no longer Sherbet but Lemon Swizzels Double Dip? Aaargh! We truly have been swizzled if that’s the case.
Let’s hope they don’t mess with the Sherbet Dip Dab then, it might be the last place for true and proper Sherbet.
February 19th, 2010 at 4:24 am
I have started a group, We hope to get enough people together to bring back the old fountain, If you want to join we will be more than happy to hear your stories of fountains of the sherbit type… You will actually have to love them though because if we find that you like picnic bars you will be banned!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=103104407196
February 19th, 2010 at 9:55 am
Just as well I’m not a great lover of Picnic bars then…
August 12th, 2012 at 6:46 pm
when i was a young child i used to have a sherbet sweet where you could connect the plastic container from each pack to build space stations from different spaced containers, does any one know what they were?