It is well known that England has some very tasty lollies and sweets, but how does British candy compare to the variety offered by the Americans? What is all the debate about?
To get to the bottom of this debate, we need to take a detailed look at the differences between American sweets and British candy so that we can get to the truth of the matter. While Americans and people from England have historically had rivalries (both friendly and not-so-friendly), this is a serious battleground where there can only be one true victor!
Compared to British candy, American sweets are a lot more varieties in the types of sweets, but they are all based around the same templates. For example, there are many different types of Skittles and M&M’s, but they tend to dominate the marketplace and don’t leave much room for different takes on that style of sweet.
On the other hand, British candy has many different types of sweets but less variety in the flavours those sweets come in. Instead of having a rainbow version of a sweet, there would be a brand of sweet that is specifically a rainbow thing.
England has a lot of vintage styles and retro sweets that have their own appeal beyond just how they taste. People have nostalgia for these kinds of ‘golden age’ products that come from a more innocent time without as many warning labels about high sugar content etc. British candy is also characterised by a lot of ‘pick n’ mix’ treats that allow people to go into a store and fill up a bag with different types of sweets that they want.
When it comes to chocolate bars, British candy wins out over American. This is due to the fact that the standard for what makes chocolate bars in America is lower than in the UK (the US only needs 10% cocoa while in the UK the minimum standard is 20%). This no doubt allows Americans to mass-produce chocolate at a cheaper rate, but as with everything, you get what you pay for.
With that said, many will agree that American M&M’s are better than what the UK has to offer in the same department. The mint flavour is likely the most popular for many people.
There are a lot of big differences between British candy and the sweets in America, and no doubt many of the reasons are cultural as well as geographic. While American sweets are more commercially successful around the world, nothing can replace the iconic nature of the sweets that originate in England.
Buying them as a gift
You may be thinking about importing some genuine British candy or American sweets into Australia, and there are many good reasons to do this. If the person you are buying a gift for grew up in England or somewhere in America, then they will greatly value getting something they probably last enjoyed as a child and having that hit of nostalgia.
The look on their face when they open up this kind of gift is the main point of the present, not even the sweet itself. When they taste it, they will be reminded of their childhood, and this is exactly why things like British candy make for such excellent gifts.
This is a truly special kind of gift that you can get for someone that will make them really happy and grateful to you for doing it. It is something that is relatively inexpensive but will carry a lot of weight with the recipient.
Hope you have to learn more about British candy from this article.