Blast from the past: Massive tins of Quality Street at Christmas

Was it that because we were small that tins of Quality Street seemed humongous, and now that we’re big, they seem small?
Quality Street used to come in a huge tin with a picture of a red-jacketed military man romancing a young ladyQuality Street used to come in a huge tin with a picture of a red-jacketed military man romancing a young lady
Quality Street used to come in a huge tin with a picture of a red-jacketed military man romancing a young lady
By Helen McGurk
Published 21st Dec 2023, 16:46 BST
Updated 23rd Dec 2023, 17:05 BST

No, they actually were a lot bigger, twice as big in fact. Since the 1980s tins have reduced in size by 50 per cent, due to what financial types label ‘shrinkflation’; some wags have even suggested the chocolate treats be renamed ‘Austerity Street’. So, yes, the only thing that has been losing weight over the last few Christmases is Quality Street.

Despite their slimmed down proportions, Quality Street still evoke sweet memories. As a child, we had a tin every Christmas. I think it was the law. I remember the great 1980s entertainment of separating them out into their different colours and counting each type to see if they were evenly distributed. They were.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I can still recall the smell of a freshly opened tin and diving in (elbow deep, it seemed) to find my favourite– fudge, in the gaudy pink wrapper. The toffee penny, a lump of incredibly chewy toffee was great for keeping aunt Sadie quiet all afternoon. Whilst getting the last purple one was like winning the lotto. And when the tin was empty it was kept as a useful container for sewing stuff or as a safe receptacle for aunt Sadie’s broken teeth.

​

​

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.