Treats from my childhood.

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When I was a child, my Mom would often take to to the local department store for a special treat in the 50's style cafe.
The treat? Coke float in a sundae glass ,complete with doilly and long spoon; and sometimes an iced bun spread thickly with butter. Delish! Knocks spots off cupkcakes and bottled juice which seem to be today's standard fayre.

Don't know if this was specifically a Welsh thing, but a treat used to be a fake ice cream from the bakery - wafer cornet filled with mallow and coated in sprinkles.

Never quite sure what the point of them was.

Either that or a toasted tea cake and jam.

WE had those in the midlands. And does anyone know what happened to Rum Babas?

I only ever see Rum Babas in kebab shops in the UK.

Another treat mum usedto buy was a pack of ten frozen mousse deserts in a clear bag. We were allowed to defrost one each to eat on Sunday afternoon. It was vanilla with a raspberry ripple swirl through it.

I remember those too. My Dad used to sell them in his shop. It was our staple pudding most days. Didn't really like them much.I used to enjoy Ski hazelnut yoghurt.

Sainsburys used to bring out a new flavour yoghurt every month and my mum always got it for me.

I used to count things in yoghurt eg 'Only 4 more yoghurts til we go on holiday!'

we would get one choc biscuit a week as Mum baked a lot.

Used to get penny ice lollies from the kiosk on the way home from school.

Burger, chips and a strawberry milkshake followed by pancakes woth hot syrup at Wimpy. My granny used to take us for that treat every school holidays when she got her pension.

Another big treat was getting a minute maid orange ice lolly or mivvy strawberry split occasionally instead of a mini milk. My mum was hard up, so if she surprised us woth a 'big lolly' it was happy days.

Teats from my childhood:

Icecream with THREE (count 'em!) flavours. So Neapolitan then

Being allowed to accompany Dad to the Scrap yard

Being the person who was allowed to break the seal on a new jar of hot choc (strictly regulated rota system for this as task was so much in demand)

I also remember fighting my sister for the privilege of holding Mums "special" hand: the left one, with the wedding ring on

Those sausages.Notched to curve around the tomato.

Going to the sugar beet factory in my my uncles ancient lorry.

Oh, Oh, nearly forgot. Saturday Morning breakfast:

Slice of white bread, toasted on one side only, covered in lemon curd and topped with hundreds and thousands.

To accompany: Jam doughnut from the bakers van.

Enjoy with cartoons until migrainous and hyperactive

Toast with proper beef dripping. Mug of bovril after swimming. Surely that was healthier than all the crispd and cereal bars we give our children today.

Oh yes cola floats!!!

Also syrup sandwiches useing whitebread

Sugar on toast grilled until it melted and solidified again

Angel delight (usual 70s dessert)

I sent butterscotch angel delight to France for my BIL. He loves it,well, so do I.

Oh a mug of hot Bovril after swimming. I had forgotten that! The pool I went to was a lovely Art Deco outdoor one and we started Swimming Club in May - so it was freezing cold but we were hardy in those days (Sixties).

My treats were a florentine that my aunty bought from the baker's on Friday nights. Choc ice that came in a waxed paper wrapper. Bread and dripping with a bit of salt with some of the brown gravy from underneath on (preferably) a slice of white bread. Toffee with nuts on top that came as a slab in a tin tray and you my grandad had to bash with a little hammer to break it up.

The 'pop' used to bring a crate of mixed fizzy pops every Saturday; used to love mixing pop cocktails!
Sunday at grans watching old black & white movies eating jacket potatoes filled with butter & cheese with a vanilla slice for afters!

My mom never used the pop man. She was/is a terrible snob, but I suppose it saved our teeth.
As for florentines, where have thwey gone. Bakers seem to produce huge pillows of similar tasting cakes. I suppose nowyou have to pay an arm and a leg at the artisan bakery.

Oh another treat, tinned fruit with evaporated milk poured over. Heaven, I could eat that now.And a cup of camp coffee in a glass cup and saucer.

Tinned peaches and vanilla ice cream.

Tinned salmon for Sunday tea, followed by peaches and tinned Nestle cream ( never see tinned cream nowadays!)

PS I cook Florentines!

I love tinned slamon and florentines. Bring back those lovely treats from yesteryear and bin those nasty wraps and dodgy cupcakes.
Pork pie ( I'm a veggie now) and English mustard. Plain crisps dowsed in Lea and perrins, a special treat on /sunday night whilst watching a variety show.

Cucumber and onions in vinegar. Proper blanched celery and gorgonzola,Epicure mango chutney,butter puffs oh, I'm having a flashback. I'm seeing the Black and White Minstrals and The Nolan Sister,oh and here comes Donny.

Blackcurrant sundae cakes from M & S they still do them Hell Yeah

and special once a year treat was The Picnic Basket restaurant in Selfridges - THE most special goulash and mash in the world. Ever.

Huntley & Palmers biscuits especially the honey creams they were like jammy dodgers but oval with honey rather than jam.

Ginger thins, they were very large and thin with pepper. posh shops sold them. My wealthy aunts pantry and her stash of Epicure stem ginger in syrup I used to nick ditto the bar of marzipan in our cupboard.

A beano, a tiny can of pop and a 10p mix in a paper bag from the newsagents on a saturday morning.

One of those big nasty red dummy shaped lollies on a string every time we went to the seaside or butlins. I'd make such a fuss when she tried to take it away in the car on the way home, even though by that time my hands face and hair would be glued together and I'd have several ulcers on my bright red tongue. There's no way I'd let my two have one of those!

Getting to wear a bit of mums lipstick, or getting to have a look through her jewellery box was a treat, too.