I tried the WEIRDEST snacks I could find!
Rib ‘N’ Saucy Nik Naks were disgusting, and I loved them. That sounds contradictory, but it was exactly where I ended up with this corner-shop haul. A weird taste could be intriguing enough to keep eating, while a perfectly familiar childhood candy could still be horrible.
I’d been living in the UK for six years when I shared this taste test in April 2022, and trying odd-looking corner-shop treats was still one of my favourite things to do. I’d bought a selection of snacks, candy and a drink, with no shortage of things to be confused by.
Barbecue snacks with a strange appeal
Bobby’s Sticky Barbecue Ribs looked like puffed snacks, a bit like Cheetos, rather than anything resembling an actual rib. The flavour was very sweet, a little spicy and initially kind of disgusting. Then I had another one and started wondering whether I liked them. They were moreish in a way I hadn’t quite decided how to describe.
The Nik Naks brought a different kind of excitement. Around the middle of 2017 and into 2018, I was making more videos, taking the bus back from work and walking home past a corner shop. I’d pop in and buy weird bits and pieces to try. I specifically remembered scampi Nik Naks from those early taste tests, because I’d never seen anything like them before.
Seeing the brand again made me happy, although I couldn’t tell you whether I’d had Rib ‘N’ Saucy before. The scampi ones were the flavour I remembered. This packet turned out to be wonderful. Compared with the puffed Bobby’s snacks, the Nik Naks were harder little twigs, almost like Twiglets, and I preferred their crunch and flavour. Five out of five, perfect corner-shop snacks.
Candy sticks with better tattoos than flavour
The candy sticks came with temporary tattoos, which was a much better selling point than the candy itself. They reminded me of the Popeye sticks I’d had as a kid, the white ones some kids pretended were cigarettes. These tasted just as horrible as I remembered. I bought two packs and was far more interested in getting both tattoos than in eating the sticks.
The tattoos certainly lasted. In a later update, I’d had them on my arms for something like four or five days and couldn’t get them off despite scrubbing in the shower. It was hot enough for T-shirts, so there I was with two Batman tattoos still very much on show.
Good flavours, lots of chewing
Bobby’s Blue Razz Rip Roll was a sour candy belt covered in sugar, some of which went everywhere. I’m a huge blue raspberry fan, and the flavour was great, but it was more sour than I thought it would be. It reminded me of the rolled-up candy I’d had as a kid, though those memories were of something less sour and stickier. I loved this one’s flavour.
The strawberry and bubblegum Millions mix was another flavour I liked. These were tiny chewy sweets, and the artificial bubblegum taste was wonderful to me. The trouble was how much chewing they needed and how many little bits ended up in my teeth. Good flavour, annoying to eat. My partner told me about kids at his school buying them, pouring them loose into their uniform pockets and pulling them out later. I thought that sounded disgusting.
A confusing drink and a horrible last sweet
Barr Shandyade was one of the weirdest-looking drinks I’d spotted on the shelf. It tasted lemony, with something else that made me think of beer, and I couldn’t decide whether I hated it or loved it. It was confusing enough that I kept taking another sip. By the end, it was one of the things that had surprised me most, along with the Rib ‘N’ Saucy Nik Naks.
Fini Camel Balls bubblegum had a much clearer verdict. The sweet was bumpy and spotted, hard and sour at first, then eventually soft enough to bite into. That revealed liquid inside before I got to the bubblegum. The liquid was a texture and sensation I hadn’t known I didn’t want. I hated it. I was planning to eat the rest of the Nik Naks instead.
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