A Taste of Minty Nostalgia (Bassett's Mint Creams)

Member Name: ian22

Product:	Bassett's Mint Creams
Date:	28/01/07 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Soft and smooth

Disadvantages: Not available in many shops

Near to where I live, there is a sweet shop, but not just any sweet shop...This particular shop is one of those quaint, old-fashioned confectioners with jars of sweets in the window and a range that no supermarket could ever match! You will find a plethora of toffees, chocolates, mints, boiled sweets and many more of the sweets you enjoyed as a kid. One particular sweet I would definitely recommend is the Clarnico Mint Cream. Although this wasn't a known sweet from my childhood, my Dad insisted that we buy some, as he remembered them from his youth. I am very pleased we did as they are very nice.

Clarnico Mint Creams are probably best described as fondants. They are round, white sweets, approximately 3cm in diameter and 1cm in thickness. Each one is individually wrapped in white and pale green wrappers, with the Clarnico emblem and 'Mint Cream' written on the front and back. I can only describe them individually as we did not buy them in a packet.

The strange thing about Clarnico Mints is that they feel hard on the outside, but become soft and chewy once you pop them in your mouth. Most mint cream fondants are soft all the way through and do not have hard exteriors.

As you bite into the mint, there is a slight crunch and this is swiftly followed by a smooth, minty fondant centre. This centre has a melt-in-the-mouth texture which is very pleasant and makes a nice change from the hard Trebor Extra Strong Mints I normally buy. The minty flavour is just right - not too sweet and not too strong, and because of this will most likely appeal to both children and adults alike. The generous size of the mint also means that you can make one last for quite a while by biting off small chunks at a time.

Nowadays, Clarnico Mints are made by Trebor Bassett, part of the Cadbury group. However, they were originally founded 135 years ago in 1872 by business partners Clarke, Nickolls and Coombes, hence the name Clar-ni-co!

The sad thing about these mints is that despite their long history, they are not widely available, and you are only likely to find them in traditional sweet shops like the one I visited. A bag of about ten individual mints cost me about a pound which is quite good value really.

Overall, I definitely recommend Clarnico Mints. They may be difficult to locate in shops, but if you are lucky enough to find some, your discovery will be well worth it!

** Suitable for vegetarians **

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