Processed food

[Robert Poste's Child]

Amusing article by Grace Dent in the Guardian on processed food's part in working class people's lives, particularly if you grew up in the 70s and 80s.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/02/grace-dent-processed-food-delicious-msg-sprinkled-class-war

I'm not sure she's right though. My memory is that in the 60s and early 70s, the days of the space race and cold war, it seemed exciting to add milk to powder and make a chocolate mousse, or to unwrap foil from a mini roll. My childhood was long way from hers but we loved a lot of those things. For birthdays you'd have much preferred a processed shop cake to a homemade one. Your granny bought you Penguins even if your mother wouldn't.

It made me wonder, which processed foods did you love back then and are there any you still love now?

I used to love frankfurters; can't bear the lack of texture now. Still love Frosties and squirty cream (not together ... ooh, might have to try that, though, perhaps with strawberries).

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I loved toast toppers, I find them utterly disgusting now as they taste nothing like back in the day.

Angel Delight was always a winner with me.

Corned beef, especially in sandwiches was one of my favourites. Artic roll. Crispy pancakes.

Going wimpy and having a knickerbocker glory was like Christmas and my birthday rolled into one!

[Robert Poste's Child]

Toast toppers! I'd forgotten those. They were really big in the toasted sandwich-maker era in the early 80s.

[Jules-and-Boo]

Findus crispy pancakes - oh my goodness - I wasn't allowed them at home but used to have them at my nanny's house.

Other than that, we didn't have anything instant or processed that I can remember. Oh Bird's custard. Loved that!

We were talking about this at work - my friend remembers boil in the bag things.

We had a sandwich toaster - loved that too

[Robert Poste's Child]

Instant mashed potato, especially the bacon one. I may have posted about this before but I make no apology for that. Life-enhancing, particularly at the end of an evening in the pub.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Fish fingers, goes without saying.

Hula hoop sandwiches, white bread, ketchup. Happy days.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Sandwich spread was popular in my house. Walls Viennetta, Pink Wafers. Smiths Crispy Tubes crisps. Pot noodles was rather exciting too when we first came across it.

[sjsl]

Butterscotch Angel Delight (or was it just Instant Whip), wagon wheels with a cup of camp coffee in a pyrex cup and saucer as a special treat after swimming in freezing pool.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

No. The thing for after swimming in the Esplanade pool in Rochester, was hot Bovril and digestive biscuits.

And Sandwich Spread is one of my five-a-day.

[Jules-and-Boo]

we had an outdoor pool (at school) but it wasn't heated and if it's was officially summer, swimming was on. It was too much fun to be cold (or to expect it to be other than freezing). Maybe that's why I like the lido so much.....

I don't remember having pasta, ever, when I was little....

Spaghetti shapes - YES

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Anyone have Fray Bentos pie?

[Robert Poste's Child]

The one in the tin? Still looks tasty.

I secretly still like Spam.

[redjam]

I was brought up on:

'Spaghetti bolognese' made with a sauce made from a tin of corned beef, a tin of tomatoes, a chopped onion and some dried thyme. Nothing else.

Findus Crispy Pancakes with cheese sauce, served with Green Giant sweetcorn.

Mince, rice and Surprise peas (dried peas - no one else seems to remember these), all mixed together.

Ambrosia creamed rice pudding with a blob of strawberry jam in the middle.

My mum would eat boil-in-the-bag Weight Watchers ready meals, generally some kind of nameless slop with a minuscule portion of claggy rice - truly the saddest things to ever grace a plate.

[Pugwash]

I can remember Angel Delight - that was a treat. Pilchards or Sardines on toast. Soft roes on toast. Vesta Curry - in a packet - we were daring in those days! Our house ( or rather flat) in Spurling Road was not wired for power only light, so we could not have a fridge. Mum used to stand bottle in pail of cold water in the hallway (coldest place) or get bottle of sterilised milk, which was great in custards. Cremola - it was a yellow coloured semolina -

which you made in saucepan with milk.

My Nan in Landells Road had a fridge but I cannot recall having much processed food there. I stayed at my Nan's from Friday to Sunday each week as Mum was a single working parent and money did not run to food for the 2 of us 7 days a week. Mum came up for Sunday dinner - always a roast as Nan and my 2 aunts all worked so good money going into the house.

[JohnL]

Vesta Curry - It was more Vesta Chow Mein in my house. I thought those crispy noodles were brilliant (I actually bet I'd still like the stuff :) )

[Robert Poste's Child]

Sainsbury's may be watching. Penguins, Viennetta and Mr Kipling French Fancies all reduced.

[fishbiscuits]

As a kid, in the 80s - Angel Delight (and the superior "Instant Whip"). Rowntree's Jelly. Lemon meringue pie mix. Fray Bentos Pies. Smash. Heinz puddings with evaporated milk poured over it. Mr Kipling's country slices. Canned chicken curry (we'd never go on holiday without an emergency supply). Crispy pancakes, chicken nuggets, and "turkey steaks". Alphabites, potato waffles, and "oven crunchies". Pop tarts. Alphabetti spaghetti. Heinz London Grill.

As a student in the 90s - Curry made with Tesco "value" sausages, spag bol with the equivalent burgers. Cheese & Dolmio toasties. Tinned hot dogs. Kwik Save "no frills" apple pies, heated in the oven, topped with Kwik Save ice cream.

Now - Fish fingers. Sainsburys currys. Ben & Jerrys.

[Angelina]

funny how obesity is an issue now but not so much then.....

[mrsparker]

Ooo where to start!

Freezer staples of Birds Eye Chicken Pies, Chicken and Ham Findus Crispy Pancakes which I have searched in vain for nowhere to be found, not even Iceland :(

Stuffing the car for holidays in France: Tinned Chicken in White Sauce and tinned Chicken Curry (M&S natch) Tinned Potatoes, Tinned Petit Pois and Carrots, Beef and Crab Shippam?s Paste, Frey Bentos Pies, Vesta Curries and the Chow Mien with the magic crispy noodles, Heinz Cream of Celery Soup (double gagg) Baked Beans and Pork Sausages Weirdly we ate really well in France so I?ve no idea why my parents insisted on bringing a load of tinned food that inevitably didn?t get eaten.

Puddings: Chocolate and Butterscotch Angel Delight, Pearce Duff?s Blancmange (usually the Vanilla one GAGG), Ice Magic, Arctic Roll, Vienetta.

Me and the other half still keep a stash of Angel Delight in the cupboard for a treat.....sometimes topped with squirty cream. mmmmmmmmmmmm.

[Sue]

Angelina Wrote:

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> funny how obesity is an issue now but not so much

> then.....

No computer games. Hardly any TV channels. Fewer people had cars. More sports in school.

[uncleglen]

Angelina Wrote:

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> funny how obesity is an issue now but not so much

> then.....

Most of the time we ate simple wholesome home cooked foods. Veg and fruit in season, neck of lamb stews etc. The processed stuff and the packet instant stuff were a rare treat. And I can't remember ever eating between meals.

What about Dream Topping?...We did our own wedding food and put Dream Topping on individual trifles. My little brother went round with a spoon and ate the Dream Topping off the whole lot while the poor trifles were waiting in another room....

[fishbiscuits]

mrsparker Wrote:

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> Freezer staples of Birds Eye Chicken Pies

Yeah we used to have these ridiculous stacks/cylinders of disgusting pies in the freezer. Possibly supermarket own brand though, instead of Birds Eye.

> Stuffing the car for holidays in France: Tinned

> Chicken in White Sauce and tinned Chicken Curry

Haha, yes, we went to France almost every year, and without fail, the first night's meal would be tinned curry, with boil-in-the-bag rice.

Are you actually my sister?

[womanofdulwich]

fishbiscuits- did you- or anyone else make a town out of the reverse of instant whip cartons- i know we did - we made a whole town and that must have been late 60's - about 20 shops - that a lot of instant whip :)

[Robert Poste's Child]

When McDonalds opened its first branch in London, my father drove us up from Kent (no M25 yet so it seemed much further) and we were amazed by how thick the milkshakes were.

Reminds me - strawberry Nesquik.

Tizer and cherry Corona, making ice cream floats by adding a spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

Neopolitan ice cream cut into blocks and eaten sandwiched between two wafers.

Messrs Softy and Whippy on a day out.

[mrsparker]

Separated at birth ;)

Oh and just had a flash back to those weird frozen mousses. Super Mousse! that was it!