What did you/your family consider a treat growing up that really wasn’t?

[ClassicStripe]

I’ve just randomly remembered that when I was younger me and my sister thought it was the most amazing treat to have our mum’s bath water after she was finished with it. She didn’t even use bubble bath so it was literally just lukewarm water but we absolutely loved it. This was in the early 90’s and we had regular hot warm bubble baths which makes it even stranger that we were so pleased by using mum’s old water!

This really resonated with me. Within reason I can have what I want when I want but I miss the waiting. I remember my brother always used to get me a now album for Easter and I’d look forward to it so much, it was a massive deal to me. I was definitely spoilt as a kid but was never allowed to buy random treats if it wasn’t my birthday or Xmas.

Weirdly the bath water thing too!

Even today, I still feel it's wrong to eat HCBs at any other time than Good Friday.

The skin on the custard, the creamy bit on top of the milk, a soda stream, and somehow my mum gaslit my brother me into thinking the best delicacy was a ‘soggy-middle’ cake, we would squabble for that bit 🤦🏼‍♀️

Cornetto. I’m sure they were expensive when they came out. And obviously vienetta as has been said already!

Pizza. Once a year, we’d get pizza and eat it in the car, so exotic!

As my parents had a bit more money available, we had a mid week treat - crusty bread (would just have a chunk with cheese) and we each had a fresh cake each. Obviously this would still be a treat for families now struggling.

Can't believe someone got there first with the skin on the custard! Used to fight my brother for this.

Top of milk. My brother and I used to fight over who got to first with the top of milk to go on the Sunday dinner pudding (usually crumble). We very rarely had proper cream in a carton. But sometimes our mum wouldn’t let us start a new bottle of milk if another had been started recently.

Another one chiming in to say a bloody vienetta!
also those weird bath pearls from the body shop, my mum had a bowl on the dresser in the bathroom in all sorts of exotic shapes - I was never explicitly told I wasn’t allowed to use them but I suspect they were just mums treat. I used to sneak a few in my bath. Odd greasy things they were!

I used to get this every Saturday night! Such a treat!! I can taste that crusty bread right now! They don't make it like that anymore.

The case (6 bottles) of 'fizzy pop' from the Corona man that he delivered to the door in the week before Christmas. It was rationed carefully and lasted several days... The rest of the year we had water, tea (from a pot that was topped up with hot water often to make the leaves last longer), milk or orange squash...

Takeaway like KFC was a treat in our house , not a money thing it was purely that we didn’t have them often as my mum cooked every night .

For us it was a picky tea. All the odds and ends out of the freezer or fridge. Obviously it was to use up food but it was a real treat.
Or champ, mashed potatoes with scallions, made into a volcano with a lump of melting butter on top. No meat just the champ. This was what we couldn’t afford meat but we loved it.

Dad would buy me hot chips that had the most amazing chicken salt after swimming from this shop we drove past. Mum wasn't big on take outs or eating out, so never had many other opportunities.

Another one for vienetta! 🙋‍♀️
Individual packs of cereal
And the little tiny bars of Dairy milk (about the size of a stamp) that came in a little drawer

I used to get half a grapefruit with lots of sugar on it as Christmas day breakfast. Really looked forward to it every year!

A slice of apple, handed out to the grandchildren individually like it was cake - loved it!

I hope whoever was in charge of marketing vienetta in the 80s/90s got a decent bonus!! 🤣

My aunt had sugar lumps, instead of a bag of sugar, we thought she was so fancy.

The spine in the tinned salmon.
rice pudding skin.
custard skin.

Corn on the Cob
Avocado
Pomegranate
Any dessert at all.

Sitting in the boot of the car and waving at other drivers
Neapolitan ice cream

Coke.
I was embarrassingly old when I realised that coke didn't only have to be for special occasions (christmas, or maybe with a takeaway- and between 5 of us there was probably enough for a small glass each). I saw it in my friends fridge (we were adults!) and it blew my tiny mind.... I still don't have it regularly but I probably buy it at least once a month!

Going “out” to the Little Chef for dinner infrequently. We lived rurally and for some reason, it was the nearest establishment that my parents decided was appropriate.

My Dad used to make butterscotch Angel Delight and put chocolate buttons on the top.

We had a neighbour who used to make us toast with strawberry jam and squirty cream from a can which I thought was insanely decadent!

Fish and chips were a real treat and I used to love driving home with my Dad with a hot, newspaper wrapped parcel on my lap.