British Exclusive Vegetarian Sweets? [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Lolzords

2010-11-23, 02:12 PM

Hi there. I recently got a package of American exclusive sweets from my girlfriend in Kentucky, and I want to send her some British exclusive sweets to her.

Problem is, she's vegetarian and can't have sweets with gelatin. So, do any of you Vegetarian Brits in the playground know of any vegetarian-friendly sweets I can send her?

Lillith

2010-11-23, 03:19 PM

Not vegetarian or British but how about toffee or chocolate? I also heard that some liquorice is made without gelatin. Might be worth looking into? Also: jelly beans?

Coidzor

2010-11-23, 04:51 PM

Toffee's not vegetarian? Weird, I thought it was basically heat-treated sugar like taffy or caramel.

You get Bourbon Balls or some of that Ruth Hunt stuff?

factotum

2010-11-24, 02:31 AM

I would have thought the only sweets that *do* contain gelatin would be soft, squishy ones, so anything hard ought to work. As for specifically British, anything made by Cadburys or Swizzels ought to do it--maybe Parma Violets? (Don't know if they contain gelatin, have never read the ingredients list).

[EDIT] Actually, just checked it out, and this site says they're veggie-friendly:

http://www.sweetieworld.co.uk/whole_sacks/sack_of_parma_violets/

Mercenary Pen

2010-11-24, 08:53 AM

xPANCAKEx

2010-11-25, 08:34 PM

british mars bars are very different from the yank ones last time i did a taste test

send her galaxy bars

also - http://www.moofreechocolates.com/ - vegan chocolate, but one of the best tasting chocolates (vegan/veggie or otherwise) i've ever had

curly wurly bars!!!

send her over some ritter sport bars. They aint british but they sure are tasty... cost a fair bit too.

Eldpollard

2010-11-26, 03:07 PM

Toffee's not vegetarian? Weird, I thought it was basically heat-treated sugar like taffy or caramel.

You get Bourbon Balls or some of that Ruth Hunt stuff?

I think you missread Lillith's post. I think she meant that she's not vegetarian or British.

Hmm, I'm vegetarian and British but I don't buy many sweets. By sweets do you mean flavoured sugary stuff like wine gums? Because most of them do have gelatin in. If I recall correctly Haribo do a vegetarian selection pick and mix bag.

Lillith

2010-11-26, 04:51 PM

I think you missread Lillith's post. I think she meant that she's not vegetarian or British.

Hmm, I'm vegetarian and British but I don't buy many sweets. By sweets do you mean flavoured sugary stuff like wine gums? Because most of them do have gelatin in. If I recall correctly Haribo do a vegetarian selection pick and mix bag.

Whoops you're right. I should have made it 'I'm not vegetarian or British'. My mistake.

arguskos

2010-11-26, 04:55 PM

send her over some ritter sport bars. They aint british but they sure are tasty... cost a fair bit too.
It's easy to find these in the states, so they wouldn't be very unique or fun.

xPANCAKEx

2010-11-27, 08:23 PM

It's easy to find these in the states, so they wouldn't be very unique or fun.

incorrect

ritter sport is ALWAYS fun

Mercenary Pen

2010-11-27, 09:06 PM

Checked whilst I was out and both Werthers Originals and Polo mints say they are suitable for vegetarians, though I don't know about vegans in either case.

Dunno whether the americans get either of those...

Edit: Having re-checked the ingredients list, Werthers originals aren't suitable for Vegans- but vegetarians should be okay with them.

littlebottom

2010-11-27, 10:05 PM

i know your all going to hate me for this but... some sweets arnt suitable for vegitarians?! ive never really thought about it before but i suppose your right.

as for sweets you could send, im always partial to some pocky! no wait you want british sweets ... erm, mikado! yeah! (its not just pocky remarketed as mikado in britain... (and possibly america?)) no im not sure i can help you here to be honest.

i also wouldnt send chocolate if shes vegitarian, since most chocolates have small insects in them that are attracted by the smell and drown in the melted chocolate before it is made into bars etc.

america has alot more exclusive sweets than britain does though, so im not sure what weve got and they havnt:smallconfused:

xPANCAKEx

2010-11-27, 10:27 PM

in Carmel, CA (the town where clint eastwood was mayor) there is a shop called "the olde english sweetshop" - selling imported english recipe sweets for about 5-6 times what we'd pay for them at home

but yes - many sweets contain gelatin, so that rules them out.

maybe the answer lies in things like boiled sweets? they arnt uniquely british (in that they are available internationally), but some of them are very "british"

also - send her a jar of marmite. She will either adore you or break up with you in terms of her reaction to this delightful savory sandwich spread

Coidzor

2010-11-28, 12:09 AM

also - send her a jar of marmite. She will either adore you or break up with you in terms of her reaction to this delightful savory sandwich spread

Only if you enclose an instruction manual on how to eat it. I never could figure it out, too much and it acts like ipecac and too little and it just tastes like salty toast. :smallconfused:

Checked whilst I was out and both Werthers Originals and Polo mints say they are suitable for vegetarians, though I don't know about vegans in either case.

I believe we do, well, we have something called Werthers Originals anyway, they're like butterscotch, right?

No idea about Polo mints though.

Mercenary Pen

2010-11-28, 04:51 AM

I believe we do, well, we have something called Werthers Originals anyway, they're like butterscotch, right?

No idea about Polo mints though.

Yup, werthers originals are indeed like butterscotch. Polo mints would be instantly recognisable, they have a hole through the middle.

Eldpollard

2010-11-28, 10:44 AM

I'd say overall your best bet would be Cadbury's stuff. Even if they are US owned now. Stuff like Crunchies and Borneville probably wouldn't go amiss.

Phae Nymna

2010-11-28, 10:52 PM

OOH! OOH! OOH!
I got a tin of Uncle Joe's Mint Balls the other week from a friend-

They're splendid peppermint hard candies, and they're absolutely vegan. Only ingredients are cane sugar, cream of tartar, and peppermint oil. They come in a super kitsch tin too. Absolutely delightful British confection!

mucat

2010-11-28, 11:00 PM

maybe the answer lies in things like boiled sweets? they arnt uniquely british (in that they are available internationally), but some of them are very "british"

Forgive my ignorance, but this is something I've always wondered about: what is a boiled sweet? I've read the term in books, but I've never been able to imagine what they are. Probably just a trans-Atlantic difference in names, but it would be good to dispel my curiosity on this...

Phae Nymna

2010-11-28, 11:02 PM

Forgive my ignorance, but this is something I've always wondered about: what is a boiled sweet? I've read the term in books, but I've never been able to imagine what they are. Probably just a trans-Atlantic difference in names, but it would be good to dispel my curiosity on this...
In my understanding, it's any boiled hard candy that's, well, boiled to the hard-crack stage.

mucat

2010-11-28, 11:06 PM

In my understanding, it's any boiled hard candy that's, well, boiled to the hard-crack stage.

Oh. Like lollipops and Jolly Ranchers? (Yeah, probably a setting-specific brand name there.)

Not at all what I had always pictured. I imagined the term meant something soft and syrup-infused. Thanks for recalibrating my world view there... :smallsmile:

Eldpollard

2010-11-29, 08:30 AM

Oh. Like lollipops and Jolly Ranchers? (Yeah, probably a setting-specific brand name there.)

Not at all what I had always pictured. I imagined the term meant something soft and syrup-infused. Thanks for recalibrating my world view there... :smallsmile:

I have no idea about Jolly Ranchers but pretty much. But even harder than some lollipops. Some lollipops will have a sticky, slightly chewey texture. Hard boiled sweets don't.
I know something that's very British. Hawick's Balls. Round hard minty things. With a chewy centre (I think)

Evil DM Mark3

2010-11-29, 10:19 AM

Here are some images of boiled sweets for clarity purposes:
http://kidzcoolzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/boiled-sweets.jpghttp://kingdomofstyle.typepad.co.uk/my_weblog/images/2007/09/22/ist2_3902879_boiled_sweets.jpghttp://kidzcoolzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/boiled-sweets.jpg
As for an idea, how about Fox's Glacier mints (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_Mints) or Glacier fruits? They are rather nice and travel well, as well as being vegetarian (I am fairly sure)

Eldpollard

2010-11-29, 11:35 AM

mucat

2010-11-29, 11:59 AM

Here are some images of boiled sweets for clarity purposes:

Thanks for this and the other clarifying responses It's actually quite good to know. (Whenever a character in a book was described as keeping a dish of boiled sweets on their desk or table, I had always imagined something kinda syrupy and likely to attract flies. It will be a elief from now on to know it's just a bowl of hard candies...) :smallsmile:

And to get back to the original question...if your girlfriend is vegetarian but not vegan, then I would go with Cadbury's chocolate. (We can get something called Cadbury's in the states -- I think it's made by Nestle or Hershey, under license from Cadbury -- but it's not at all the same thing!)

Archonic Energy

2010-11-29, 01:19 PM

i'm suprised no-one's mentioned kendel mint cake.

it's 99.9% sugar
0.1% peppermint extract
No REALLY (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendal_Mint_Cake)

mmmmmmmmmm.

Kislath

2010-11-29, 02:25 PM

Ooohh... where to get that moo-free nondairy chocolate in the States?
I haven't had chocolate since Mad Cow hit, and boy, do I miss it.

xPANCAKEx

2010-11-29, 07:36 PM

sweet zombie jebus yes KENDEL MINT CAKE - it fuels mountain climbers

aniseed twists are one of my favourites

and im kinda getting into Army & Navy (another aniseed based boiled sweet)

and send her:
yorkie bars (they may be "not for girls" but who cares! the british in the playground will understand this)
wispa bars
aero bars
munchies
after eights
terry's chocolate orange
GREEN AND BLACKS - tasty goodness. Their white chocolate bar is like an industrial strength milky bar
cadbury buttons

Phae Nymna

2010-11-29, 11:47 PM

yorkie bars (they may be "not for girls" but who cares! the british in the playground will understand this)Don't discount us culturally developed Amerikaners!

factotum

2010-11-30, 02:31 AM

Beginning to wonder if Lolzords is ever going to come back to comment on any of these excellent suggestions! (Kudos to Archonic for the Kendal Mint Cake suggestion--how could I forget one of my favourite confections?).

Archonic Energy

2010-11-30, 06:11 AM

sweet zombie jebus yes KENDEL MINT CAKE - it fuels mountain climbers

GREEN AND BLACKS - tasty goodness. Their white chocolate bar is like an industrial strength milky bar

i've been to Kendel... nice place! very hilly

i like the Hotel Chocolat bars.
they do some good white/nut fusions...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm chocolate
*drools*

Brother Oni

2010-11-30, 07:23 AM

SInce there's a picture of them, but haven't been mentioned: rhubarb and custards. There's also sherbert lemons, pear drops and chocolate limes...

*Drool*

Dammit, I'm going to have to go to the sweet shop after work now.

Eldpollard

2010-11-30, 10:41 AM

i've been to Kendel... nice place! very hilly

i like the Hotel Chocolat bars.
they do some good white/nut fusions...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm chocolate
*drools*

Yeah, but you're from the south. Everywhere is hilly for you :smalltongue:.

Archonic Energy

2010-11-30, 11:20 AM

Yeah, but you're from the south. Everywhere is hilly for you :smalltongue:.

take note of the contor lines... (http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=51.179024688899524~-1.82747483253479&lvl=14&sty=s&eo=1&where1=Stonehenge%2C%20United%20Kingdom#JnE9Lmtlbm RlbCU3ZXNzdC4wJTdlcGcuMSZiYj01MS4xOTkzMzIxMDA2OTA4 JTdlLTEuNzg3NzM1MjIzNzcwMTIlN2U1MS4xNTg3MDgzMjc4OD k2JTdlLTEuODY3MjE0NDQxMjk5NDI=)

just because i'm a londoner do not assume i know nothing of hills... :smallamused:

@V i rarely say this... and only when i truly mean it!
LOL

Asta Kask

2010-11-30, 11:24 AM

Do sweets made exclusively from vegetarians really taste better?

littlebottom

2010-12-01, 12:04 AM

Do sweets made exclusively from vegetarians really taste better?

heh, we have a winner!

Grimlock

2010-12-01, 03:16 AM

I don't know if anyone has already mentioned this but;
Waitrose Strawberry Laces/Lances- the ones covered in sherbert! My wife's veggie and loves these!

Violet Octopus

2010-12-01, 07:07 AM

I live in Australia, so manufacture could differ, but beware of Crunchie bars. That honeycomb stuff often contains gelatin.

Not sure how strict a vegetarian your friend is, but watch out for colour 120 (aka cochineal or carmine), made from beetles. It's a red food colouring that may turn up in things like Smarties.

I've heard rumours that Mars is still using using animal rennet in their products despite saying they wouldn't anymore.

incorrect

ritter sport is ALWAYS fun
The marzipan ritter sport happens to be vegan too =D

Brother Oni

2010-12-01, 07:13 AM

Not sure how strict a vegetarian your friend is, but watch out for colour 120 (aka cochineal or carmine), made from beetles. It's a red food colouring that may turn up in things like Smarties.

I'd also keep an an eye on other food colourings. I believe the one they use for yellow smarties is permitted in Europe but banned in the US, so importation of smarties as a whole is banned.

A pity, because the idea of a US customs agent picking all the yellow ones out of consignments of smarties, amuses me greatly. :smallbiggrin:

Violet Octopus

2010-12-01, 07:36 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartrazine
These yellow colourings? It looks like it's been voluntarily phased out in the UK anyway.

CrimsonAngel

2010-12-01, 05:05 PM

CrimsonAngel

2010-12-01, 05:55 PM

take note of the contor lines... (http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=51.179024688899524~-1.82747483253479&lvl=14&sty=s&eo=1&where1=Stonehenge%2C%20United%20Kingdom#JnE9Lmtlbm RlbCU3ZXNzdC4wJTdlcGcuMSZiYj01MS4xOTkzMzIxMDA2OTA4 JTdlLTEuNzg3NzM1MjIzNzcwMTIlN2U1MS4xNTg3MDgzMjc4OD k2JTdlLTEuODY3MjE0NDQxMjk5NDI=)

just because i'm a londoner do not assume i know nothing of hills... :smallamused:

@V i rarely say this... and only when i truly mean it!
LOL

How did I get to that wiki page to the latin alphabet?

xPANCAKEx

2010-12-01, 11:04 PM

The marzipan ritter sport happens to be vegan too =D

and the peppermint one

and the one with amusing labelling/potentially scandelous labelling

those wacky euros and their translations... (potential misinterpretations ahoy!... dont say i didnt warn you....)

foreign language in the playground lulz

http://img15.shop-pro.jp/PA01082/650/product/18250984.jpg

thubby

2010-12-01, 11:29 PM

swedish fish surprisingly do not contain gelatin. not particularly british (duh), but seemed relevant.
same goes for real liquorish (most of the stuff in supermarkets is imitation, so check labels)

Eldpollard

2010-12-02, 08:05 PM

swedish fish surprisingly do not contain gelatin. not particularly british (duh), but seemed relevant.
same goes for real liquorish (most of the stuff in supermarkets is imitation, so check labels)

Swedish fish? I'm assuming that this is a sweet and not fish from Sweden. *Googles* I see. They sound quite nice, not something I've ever seen in the UK though.