I Am Obsessed With Sweets
I write this sitting next to an empty 500g jar of sweets.
Some people are obsessed with celebrities, some obsessed with cars, some obsessed with technology. Unluckily for me, I am obsessed with sweets. Sweet tooth? More like sweet teeth! It runs in the family and we all try our hardest to combat our sugar cravings, but unfortunately, some things are just too good. Anyway, they do say that quitting sugar is harder than quitting smoking.
So, I say I am obsessed with sweets. This is not just all sweets. Not Haribos, Wine Gums or Fruit Pastels, but Pick N Mix. The traditional scoop in hand and bag in the other.
The first time I tried a Haribo strawberry was in Woolworths. I am sure everyone remembers the store. They had Candy King Pick N Mix (which is thankfully still up and running in Tesco).
My mum had bought herself a bag of sweets and me being a child, asked if I could try one. She passed me a deep red and green-topped Haribo strawberry. Delicious. I can test them on my tongue as we speak.
My exploration of classic Pick N Mix grew. White and pink mice, vanilla fudge cubes, white and milk chocolate jazzies, yellow bellow snakes, you name it and I will know it. As I grew older and begun to have my own money, I began to buy my own Pick N Mix.
During my studying years, every Friday I would go to the local corner shop and buy £2 worth of Haribo Strawberries to see me throughout double English and double Psychology. Didn’t really work though, I just ended up in a sugar crash all the time.
My friends once put to me to the test and pointed to loads of different sweets on the internet. “It’s so funny how many you get right, you shouldn’t know sweets that well,” they say. Well, I do. Having a bit of a photographic memory helps too.
Come March 2020 and we hit national lockdown in the United Kingdom. I went into my local Tesco and notice the Candy King Pick N Mix display was EMPTY. The worst sight of my life. How am I going to satisfy my cravings? Then Instagram saved me.
They say Instagram can read your mind and “coincidentally” the thing that you have just been thinking/speaking about comes up in an advert. Well, up popped an advert for a small sweet business in Gloucestershire. Sinful Sweets. Miles away from where I lived, but they delivered all around the United Kingdom.
I took a look at the sweet menu and lo and behold, just about every classic Pick N Mix sweet. Giant cola bottles, dracula fangs, milk bottles, I could go on. I ordered a 1kg bag (Yes, 1kg. I warned you I was obsessed) for myself and my mother to share and a 1kg bag for my little sister.
I finished my entire 500g in an evening accompanied by Netflix. In other words, I finished half a bag of sugar in an evening. Oh, the shame! But not too much shame because I can’t say I didn’t do it again. And again. And tomorrow for Halloween.
I ordered from that business again, but only once. As I realised that having small sweet businesses was actually a thing that I didn’t know about. There are loads. Here are a few that I have ordered from:
I only order from businesses that contain this one sweet: strawberry twist kisses. I had only been introduced to it via Sinful Sweets and I was absolutely hooked. Lucky for me, they cannot be purchased in supermarkets or local corner shops. I only consume strawberry twist kisses during special occasions, such as boredom.
Come August 2020, I have become obsessed with Barratt’s Bananas and Shrimps. I bought one pack to see me throughout the workday, consumed within three hours.
Then it dawned on me, how many calories did I just eat? Only around 800, not including lunch. Not good. I am happy to announce that the banana and shrimp situation was very short-lived. I even managed to combat purchasing a £10 tub in TK Maxx.
I do not want to think about how many calories I have consumed in sweets during the lockdown. Personally, I do not care. I go to the gym four/five times a week and even though that is not an excuse, it’s better than nothing.
I also keep an eye on my blood levels, just in case of a worst-case scenario. I will admit that I have researched Sugar Cravings Anonymous, but it only exists in America. Shame, but oh well. I don’t need an anonymous group, I’ve already said it. I am obsessed with sweets.
