‘What did you think was a treat growing up?’ – 21 nostalgic things that people thought were so special as children

As children, we’re pretty unsophisticated creatures, and as we grow we develop more cosmopolitan and cultured tastes, as anyone who has forced themselves to enjoy the taste of olives will tell you.

But what about the things that we used to think were incredibly exciting before we grew up and got boring? They’ve been chatting about this after Aggravating_Neat1261 posed this question on the AskUK subreddit:

‘What did you think was a treat growing up? Mine was McDonald’s absolute peak excitement as a kid. Now I only get it if I’m late for work hungover or have literally nothing in the fridge.’

Lots of people chipped in with the things they thought were special as kids, and still have a soft spot for, like these…

1.

‘Going to Pizza Hut, the salad bar, the deep pan pizzas, there’s nothing quite like it now.’
–diamonds_and_rose_bh

2.

‘Potato salad, covered in bacon bits, all swimming in Thousand Island.’
–fr1234

3.

‘Sara Lee Chocolate Gateau! Dessert most Sundays.’
–Scottish_B

4.

‘Viennetta was a Sunday treat, Sara Lee was for high days and holidays only!’
–wintermute023

5.

‘When I was a kid we’d ‘get a Chinese’ or ‘get an Indian’ but actually we’d go to Sainsbury’s and get ready meals of those cuisines. It was the best treat ever. I’d also always get one of the ready made chocolate sundaes from the chilled desserts section. I didn’t have my first actual Chinese takeaway until I was 18, or Indian until I was about 26.’
–LouTheOM

6.

‘It’s really sad to say, but those bags of ready meals are one of my happiest childhood memories. All of my family sitting together on a Friday night and eating dinner together for once before watching Jonathan Ross and falling asleep on the sofa, only to be awoken by my dad tucking me in bed.’
–No-Specific-6409

7.

‘Born in 1998. Basically spending any money at Woolworths (toys, pick and mix, DVDs, Pixar tie-in ps2 games).’
–Careful_Ad_238

8.

‘A cereal pack that came WITH a toy.’
–ThatArsenalFan7

9.

‘That chocolate sauce that went solid when you put it on your ice cream.’
–Capable_Tip7815

10.

‘Mississippi Mud Pie round Nan’s on Sunday. Never see it now.’
–Ok-Set-5829

11.

‘Every Friday we’d go to blockbusters and pick out a film and have a ‘pig out’ and eat snacks. I do the same with my kids now except it’s ’pick a movie off Disney+’.’
–Different-Rhubarb968