Nostalgic 90s snacks like Viennetta and Cheestrings are again and extra in style than ever
The iconic food and drinks so many of us grew up with, have made a monumental comeback, with Vienetta ice creams and Cheestrings flying off the supermarket shelves
The food and drink of the 90s – Cheestrings, Nice ’n’ Spicy Nik Naks, Viennetta dessert, Club biccies, and Chardonnay – are back, and selling like hotcakes.
Supermarket bosses have seen a spike in sales over the past few months as nostalgic Brits re-visit the tastes of the 1990s.
At the time, Brits were obsessed with Britpop, the battle between Blur and Oasis, as well as Britney, the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys.
Fashion was minimalist and grungy, with denim jackets, jeans, hoodies and t-shirts, as well as crop tops, low-waisted cargo pants and leather jackets.
And now, it seems the foods of the time are back, including Cheestrings, which first hit the UK in 1996, and soon became lunchbox staple.
They are made from real unripened cheese, with the six-inch ‘rope’ of cheese able to be peeled into individual strings, as advertised by a mascot called Mr. Strings.
Last year, the pizza flavour – first launched in the early 1990s, but axed in 2008 – was back on our shelves.
Other 90s foods seeing a rise in sales, include Disco crisps – in salt & vinegar, cheese & onion and prawn cocktail – chocolate Club bars, with flavours included orange, mint, salted caramel and honeycomb.
Viennetta ice cream desserts, a staple of the 80s and 90s, are also seeing a boom in sales, as well as Black Forest gateaux, and even 70s classics Angel Delight and Crispy Pancakes.
Zoe Simons, a senior development chef at Waitrose, said that ‘retro-appeal’ was becoming huge, with younger Brits tempted to try the ‘delights’ of yesteryear.
She said: “We’re seeing younger consumers embracing 90s snacking classics such as Discos, Nik Naks, and Club biscuit bars.”
Experts also said chardonnay was also on the rise – with sales up 28% thanks to, in part the new Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, out on February 13.
Speaking recently, Red Dwarf legend Craig Charles – who played curry-loving slob Dave Lister in the sci-fi show – said he loved Findus Crispy Pancakes and Birds Eye Angel Delight.
The dad-of-three, born in 1964 – and who went on to play cabbie Lloyd Mullaney in Coronation Street from 2005 to 2015 – said: “The absolute worst (is) middle-class food.
“Avocados are the most overrated thing in the world (and) sourdough annoys me as well…what’s wrong with normal bread?
“Bring back Angel Delight, Heinz Ravioli and Findus Crispy Pancakes…that’s what we’re talking about.”
Flavours of Angel Delight – which is still on sale in supermarkets – include strawberry, butterscotch, chocolate, chocolate mint and banana.
A recent poll of 2,000 Brits found that 21% would love to be served up more dishes from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Top dishes included jelly and ice cream, fish fingers, trifle, waffles, chicken Kiev, Arctic roll, crispy pancakes and Angel Delight.
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