I was recently reminded of Coq au Vin or chicken in red wine, which was a staple of Bistro's in the late Seventies. Going further back I remember certain foodstuffs from my childhood with relish and here are my top five from the Sixties and early Seventies:
1. Instant Whip pudding - in delicious flavours like butterscotch and raspberry. Not to be confused with Angel Delight or Dream Topping [couldn't find a single image of Instant Whip online].
2. Neapolitan Ice Cream - came in a block packed in a card box. the ice cream was coloured like the Italian flag I think. Similarly yummy was Tutti Frutti! Sundays were made for blocks like these!
3. Vesta Curry, Chop Suey and Chow Mein - like space food with spices for one person. Packets of dried powders, noodles and rice packed in a neat box. Everything had to be rehydrated and best of all were the crispy noodles, which had to be fried in super hot fat. Ssssssssst!
4. Steak pudding, Chips, Peas and Gravy - the classic chippy chip shop tea for eating on your knee whilst Scooby Doo, Thunderbirds or Marine Boy was on telly. The suet pudding was to die for and now a rare luxury for me as they do not exist in Yorkshire!
5. Old Fashioned Pop - like American Cream Soda, Sarsaparilla, Vimto cordial, Tizer and Iron Bru. I know you can still get most of these but for me they'll always be associated with my Sixties childhood playing with space toys and watching Doctor Who slurping burpy pop. Oh, and dandelion and burdock, of course! [ps. Lucozade was purely for when you were ill, basically a medicine! What happened!?]
What are your top five foods from yesteryear in your part of the world readers?
One of my favs as a kid wwere rissoles, I think Birds Eye made them.
ReplyDeleteI loved their roast beef in gravy in those little foil tins too although they were not good value for money!
I loved "Rise and Shine" too, especially the blackcurrant, same with Cresta too...I would kill to get my hands on a supply of Cresta blackcurrant now!
Ski yogurts were a bit of a novelty and treat back then too.
I still have the odd Vesta Chow Mein!
Two of my faves have been resurrected here in the states:The Monster Cereals(Frankenberry,Count Chocula,Boo Berry,Frute Brute,and Yummy Mummy)and Fanta Strawberry soda,which has been back for several years.One that I don't see any more is Good Humor swirled flavor popsicles.Those were a beach-time favorite.I make a casserole out of dried Ramen noodles(2 Packages with spices)a pound of ground beef,a can of corn and a can of stewed tomatoes.Satisfying on a damp chilly October night like tonight.
ReplyDelete1 Bandit chocolate bars
ReplyDelete2 Corona (every bubble's passed it's fizzicle)
3 The original Ski yoghurt from the milkman, so much more fruit, so many flavours.
4 Chicken Fingers (like sausages in batter)
5 Those really rich chocolate pudding things from the bakers, which were a sort of chocolate suet with raisins buried in them, round and rolled in chocolate 100's and 1000's, I think they were called poor man's truffles or something? At Christmas they would be renamed 'Christmas Puddings' and get a small sprig of plastic holly!
Re suet (steak and kidney) puddings, Woodsy, my local (favourite) cafe still makes them- and they're great. Can't believe you haven't got them in some for in your area!
ReplyDeletesorry, should read "some form in your area"
ReplyDeleteFabulous stuff guys! I remember rissoles Ed. Wonder if they're still around. Then there were faggots too - Brain's Faggots! Those monster cereals sound great Brian - are there monster premiums in them still? And yes Mav, Bandit, I loved 'em! It's odd how milkman Ski yoghurts was so good - it was thick and creamy in a glass jar, with whole strawberries. But was it sour? And I so miss Suet Steak Puds Andy. I can get tinned ones from the supermarket but they're not the same. Absence make the appetite stronger and I have about two puds a year on trips back home to Lancashire! Mmmmm!
ReplyDeleteRissoles are sadly long gone Woodsy.
ReplyDeleteTo mention again the Neapolitan icecream from an earlier post, I remember reading that it had the three flavours because people in Naples are known for never being able to make up their minds!
Woodsy-except for a maze on the back of the box,no premiums in the new monster cereals.In their heyday(the 70's)glow in the dark Universal Monster swag was a regular prize in these cereals.I was just glad to have Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy back after an absence of over 20 years!
ReplyDeleteThink we should have a campaign to bring back premiums in cereals- might even start eating them again -failing that, can we just have the premium-style small plastic kits back in some form?!!
ReplyDelete