I tested supermarket versions of Jelly Babies against leader and the best one was cheaper
WE can’t get enough of confectionery for children.
Nostalgic sweets are back in fashion, with Jelly Babies being the most popular.
But how do supermarket brands compare to traditional Bassetts favourites?
Laura Stott tried – and counted – a selection and marked them out of the five.
Asda – 190g, 84p (44p per 100g), Asda.com 32 sweets – 2/5
A pretty dense looking sweet, there seemed to be a lot of little jelly babies in this budget bag with a heavy flour layer so the overall look wasn’t that delightful.
A generic mix of colors including yellow, green, red and orange, although no fruit flavors are also specified or listed on the ingredients list, only plant concentrates.
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If you don’t mind forgoing the real fruit, you’ll still get a decent sugar hit, but otherwise the chews are a bit bland.
However, the price is certainly sweet enough.
Marks & Spencer – 225g, £1.55 (69p per 100g), Ocado.com 37 sweets – 4/5
A deliciously generous bag of sweets from M&S featuring chubby, soft, sugar-coated babies with plump limbs, big chubby bellies and big heads – perfect for those who like to start decapitating their childhood sweets.
Made with aromas of blackcurrant, lime, lemon, orange and strawberry.
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There is no mention of concentrate on the ingredients list, but the flavor is good, although perhaps milder than Bassetts.
Very satisfying, almost sticky, to eat, especially enjoyable if you prefer to nibble.
Haribo – 175g, £1.25 (71 pence per 100g), Poundland 17 pairs of sweets (hand-held) – 2/5
THESE baby-shaped chocolates look noticeably different in the packaging because they don’t have the powdery coating of all the others.
So if that’s your least favorite part of the traditional sweets, this is the bag for you.
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They also come together in pairs, ‘hand in hand’, which I found distasteful, but other lovely spotters may have found it charming.
A slightly different blend with more tropical flavors including cherry, banana, mango, apricot, rhubarb and apple and elderflower to choose from, all in rainbow colors and made with concentrates.
Firm to eat and flatter, more of a child-shaped chewing gum, but really fruity, spicy with a strong candy store aroma.
However, these are not traditional, so it can divide the crowd.
Taveners – 165g, £1 (61p per 100g), Iceland.nl 40 sweets – 3/5
WITH traditional flavors of blackcurrant, strawberry, raspberry, orange, lemon and lime, this British brand’s babies offer good value for money – although there is no mention of fruit concentrate on the pack, just flavourings.
These treats really looked like little newborns, complete with mini eyes and a nose, so don’t think about it too much if you like biting their heads off!
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There isn’t much coating on the outside, which I preferred, but others may not like it.
They also had a fairly tight, firm texture.
Perfectly pleasant, although individually a bit small, and gives you the retro sweet experience at a good price.
Sainsbury’s – 225g, £1.35 (60p per 100g)
40 candies – 4/5
You get a ton of sweets per bag for your money with this Sainsbury’s pack – which contains 60g more sweets than Bassetts Jelly Babies.
So there is even more to experience, perfect for avoiding arguments during long car journeys.
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But the package doesn’t say what flavor the different colored treats are, nor does it mention real fruit juice, just natural flavorings.
So you have to guess, but you get a mix of orange, green, purple, red and yellow candies and overall they taste good.
Extremely sugary and sweet with a thick layer of starchy powder on the outside and firm in the middle.
They hit the right spot.
Maynards Bassetts – 165g, £1.50 (91p per 100g), tesco.com and all major retailers, 25 sweets – 3/5
THESE classic, best-selling sweets were first made in Sheffield in 1918 and introduced as Peace Babies at the end of the First World War, then relaunched as Jelly Babies in 1953.
A retro favorite that has stood the test of time for good reason.
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The thick, starch-dusted gelatin-based treats are made with concentrated fruit juices, equivalent to 5.5 percent per sachet, with flavors of apple, lime, orange, strawberry, blackcurrant, lemon and raspberry.
Coarse, flat and very satisfying, whether you want to decapitate them, nibble their arms or just be a wolf in one.
Juicy, tasty morsels, but more rubbery than I remembered.
Morrisons – 190g, £1.35 (71p per 100g) 32 sweets – 5/5
MORRISONS’ own jellies looked rather unassuming in the packaging, but when I tried them they delivered a powerful flavor punch.
Made with concentrate in strawberry, pear, blackcurrant, lime, lemon and orange flavors, these candies tasted vaguely like their fruit namesakes – possibly more so because the starchy coating on the outside was less generous.
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These jelly babies are smaller and chewier than some others, a bit more similar to a wine gum when you bite down on it.
A little different in texture and taste, but the essence of the original is there and as someone without a particularly sweet tooth I really enjoyed it.
Tesco – 250g, £1.10 (44p per 100g) 42 sweets – 2/5
A MONSTER bag featuring Tesco’s sweet shop favorites.
This pack was almost twice the size of the big brand, and comes at a lower price point offering seriously tasty value for money.
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The ingredients on this pouch are almost the same as Bassetts confectionery and also include fruit juices from concentrates, although the amount used is not specified.
However, the flavors differ in this regard, offering a pear chew instead of a raspberry option.
Squid-like in texture and soft, almost mushy in the mouth, but apart from the sweetness the flavor is a bit diluted and the yellow chews in particular lacked a fruity bite.
Too bad considering the great price and size.