Lincoln has gone SugarSweet crazy with the opening of a new American-based confectionery store, so we decided to sample some of the biggest stateside snacks for ourselves and give you the verdict.
It stocks a series of major American food and drink favourites, such as Gatorade, Jolly Rancher, Baby Ruth and Tootsie Rolls – all brands you have likely heard in pop culture references but may never have tried for yourself.
A large assortment for us to try, from national favourites to the utterly bizarre. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Common curiosity got the better of us, so we went to buy a range of products from SugarSweet USA to see what the fuss is all about with American snack-based cuisine.
We purchased a bottle of Bacon Soda, a can of Root Beer, Jolly Rancher sour sweets, Herschey’s Kisses, Cracker Jack popcorn, Nutter Butter cookies, a Tootsie Roll, a Baby Ruth, a Laffy Taffy sour apple sweet bar, Mike and Ike Root Beer candies, and a Garlic Joe giant pickle (no, seriously, it’s a massive pickle in a bag). This is what we thought:
Lester Fixins Bacon Soda and A&W Root Beer – 1/5
Root Beer and Bacon Soda are two very popular American drinks. | Photo: The Lincolnite
I’ll level with you all, I was very scared going into this. The mere naming of Bacon Soda was enough to strike fear into my tastebuds, which on reflection I probably should have listened to.
I’m not sure what made me think a fizzy drink with bacon strips on the logo would make for a tasty beverage, but this certainly is not good. It tastes like charred bacon seasoned with tarmac and soda water.
As for Root Beer, a national institution in America, it was largely the same level of disappointment. It isn’t necessarily awful, but it sure isn’t great either. I couldn’t even tell you what it tasted like – I’ll settle with relating it to a sugarcoated battery.
Cracker Jack original popcorn – 3/5
Cracker Jack is a leading popcorn brand in the US. | Photo: The Lincolnite
This caramel-coated popcorn does what it says on the tin, it’s tasty and enjoyable, but the molasses and peanut flavours are quite overbearing.
While they do taste nice, when compared to the United Kingdom brand Butterkist, there is truly no contest to be had – it’s a victory for Queen and country here.
Jolly Rancher sour gummies – 4/5
It’s a Jolly Rancher thumbs up in our taste test verdict. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Much more like what I was expecting. America are famed for their sweet tooth and general excellence in unhealthy food categories, and it is with confectionery brands like Jolly Rancher that they have been able to earn this title.
Described as sour, they are not overbearing, and in fact a very tasty sweet with light sugar on the outside and a soft jelly on the inside. I would consider it to be a highlight of the taste test.
Herschey’s Kisses – 2/5
Herschey’s Kisses, a milk chocolate delicacy in the States. | Photo: The Lincolnite
As a brand, Herschey’s are among the giants of the US food industry, but the Herschey’s Kisses milk chocolate bites are not a glowing reference to this.
Never before have I tasted a chocolate that changes its flavour as often as this. One second it is nice, then the initial after taste is a bit like cheese, then it goes back to sweet, then again to something unexplainable.
Mike and Ike Root Beer Float candies – 2/5
Is there a more American brand name than Mike and Ike? I think not. | Photo: The Lincolnite
When you empty these jelly bean-type sweets out, they look like those prank sweets you give someone that should taste like strawberry but are actually frog vomit flavour.
While the taste is not quite on the level of frog vomit, the root beer flavoured chew sweets have a mouthwash vibe about them, which is rather ironic given the amount of sugar in each pack.
Garlic Joe Zesty Pickle – 0/5
Truly traumatised by the experience, reporter Ellis Karran gives the Garlic Joe pickle a big thumbs down. | Photo: The Lincolnite
I’m not exaggerating, this is the worst thing I have ever tasted in my life. The warning signs are there in the bag, with this yellow toxic looking liquid surrounding the pickle, helping to enhance the flavour of devastation and bad decisions.
You could not pay me enough money to attempt eating one of these again, it is an experience that will unfortunately stay with me forever. Perhaps it is the closest I will ever come to taking part in a bush tucker trial on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Laffy Taffy Candy: Sour Apple flavour – 3/5
Laffy Taffy is a thin chewy sweet that comes in different flavours. We opted for sour apple. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Nothing special, but based on the surprises thrown up throughout this challenge, there is a welcome familiarity about it.
The long, chewy sweet doesn’t blow you away as a taste sensation, but it is a subtly nice confectionery that is cheap and easy to eat on the go. Plus, there’s a joke on every wrapper, what’s not to love?
Tootsie Roll – 3/5
Tootsie Rolls are an idea over 110 years old, and have been much-loved in America ever since. | Photo: The Lincolnite
The century-old candy bar has similarities to both caramel and taffy without being either confection, and while it was tasty, it does feel a little confused.
It’s chewy with mix and match flavours that you struggle to work out at times. However, it is definitely one of the better things we tried on the day.
TGI Fridays Jalapeño Poppers – 4/5
Another of our firm favourites, the Jalapeño Popper snacks created by restaurant chain TGI Fridays. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Lincoln High Street has a Fridays restaurant, but you can’t get these Jalapeño Poppers from there, which is a shame really considering how tasty they are.
The corn snacks are a bit like spicy wotsits with a much less overpowering cheese taste. Prior warning though, they pack quite a punch in the spice department.
Baby Ruth – 3/5
Ruth, Ruth, Baby Ruth! | Photo: The Lincolnite
Anyone who has watched the 1985 cult classic film The Goonies will be well aware of what a Baby Ruth can do for you, just ask Sloth, but for some reason we didn’t really have that feeling.
It was nice, there’s no denying that, the peanut mix with caramel and chocolate-flavoured nougat makes for an interesting flavour, but there are plenty of nut-based chocolates in the UK which compare equally to it.
Nutter Butter – 3/5
Nutter Butters are sold in their millions across the States each year. | Photo: The Lincolnite
An immensely popular sandwich cookie brand, Nutter Butter claims to be the best selling US food product of its kind. In fact, it is estimated that more than a billion are eaten every year.
We enjoyed them, they were inoffensive and easy to digest, like most biscuits in all honesty, it’s simple to understand why so many are consumed.
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A lying lorry driver who smuggled £3 million worth of heroin into the UK was caught out when he put a receipt for a bottle of whisky next to his hidden load of the Class A drug.
Lithuanian national Edmundas Bruzas, 56, of Arklow, County Wicklow in Ireland, has been jailed for over 12 years.
He said he knew nothing about the 60 tape-wrapped blocks of heroin in his cab when questioned by Border Force officers at the Port of Immingham on March 25, 2022, having arrived from Rotterdam.
Bruzas said he was carrying a load of strawberries for delivery to Ireland but that he was not present when the cargo was loaded.
He declared 200 cigarettes and a bottle of Grant’s Triple Wood Whisky he bought on an outbound ferry before collecting the strawberries.
Searching the heavy goods vehicle, Border Force officers noticed something wrong with part of the refrigeration unit and discovered the blocks of heroin weighing 30 kilos and next to them seven carrier bags in a concealed area.
Border Force referred the find to the National Crime Agency and an investigation was launched.
The heroin laid out. | Photo: National Crime Agency
In custody, Bruzas said he knew nothing about the drugs and answered questions in two separate interviews.
He admitted buying the alcohol and said he didn’t know what he’d done with the receipt. But when it was put to him that officers had found the receipt – showing his credit card details – for the whisky in a carrier bag next to the heroin he refused to answer any more questions.
Officers also discovered three mobile phones, a SIM card and a post-it note bearing the question: “Are Customs doing a check on you?”
Today (August 15), at Grimsby Crown Court Bruzas admitted smuggling the heroin and was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison.
Drugs concealment. | Photo: National Crime Agency
NCA operations manager Carl Barrass said: “It was impossible for Bruzas not to know his cab had heroin in it. And when he realised we’d found his credit card receipt next to the drugs he had no option but to admit his guilt.
“Bruzas’s conviction removes a drugs smuggler from an organised crime group which has also lost a significant amount of money that would have been ploughed back into further offending.
“With partners such as Border Force and UK policing, the NCA leads the UK’s fight against Class A drugs which cause huge damage to our communities.”
Murdo Macmillan, Director of Border Force North, said: “These drugs destined for the UK would have fuelled addiction, violence and exploitation.
“This seizure and others like it, send a clear message to anyone who is considering smuggling illegal drugs into the country that we remain committed and prepared to tackle drug supply chains.
“The tireless professional efforts of Border Force officers prevent criminals like Edmundas Bruzas from smuggling drugs through the border. With our close working relationship with the NCA, we continue to detect and break supply chains.”
The manager of a hotel and restaurant in Market Rasen responded to their recent one star hygiene rating, promising she’ll be “getting a five star rating on our revisit shortly”.
The Advocate Arms Hotel on Queen Street was inspected on July 7 before the new one star rating was made public by the Food Standards Agency this week.
Inspectors deemed that improvement is necessary in both ‘hygienic food handling’ and the ‘cleanliness and condition of facilities and building’.
The rating report adds that major improvement is necessary in the ‘management of food safety’.
Katie Pywell, General Manager at the Advocate Arms Hotel, told The Lincolnite: “We’re very disappointed to receive this low hygiene rating at a recent visit.
“Excellent food hygiene standards are essential to our business which is clearly not reflected in this food hygiene score.
“There are however structural items that need to be and will be addressed as quickly was possible.
“However we feel that in our opinion these have been dealt with harshly and inconsistently.
“Our staff are trained to the highest possible standards on food hygiene regulations and understand the importance of cleanliness and record keeping.
“We would like to impress on our customers that the highest possible standards are maintained at all times at the Advocate and we look forward to getting a five star rating on our revisit shortly.”
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