The Real Jelly Babies
Name: Bassett's Jelly Babies
Brand: Bassett's (Cadbury)
Place Purchased: Sainsbury's (West Los Angeles)
Price: $4.29
Size: 215 grams
Calories per ounce: 335 calories/100 grams
Type: Jelly
I reviewed a knock-off version of Jelly Babies a few months ago, because that's all I was able to find here in the States and I was lead to believe that Bassett's are illegal for import because they contain non-FDA approved food dyes. Of course when I saw them at Sainsbury's a few weeks ago, no carcinogens were gonna keep me from trying the real thing!
What these Jelly Babies offer that the others don't is personality. Each of the little babies has a name and a different persona. The pink (according to the package) is Baby Bonny who is sitting with a diaper on. Black is Bigheart, who has a little heart shape on his chest. The orange is called Bumper and has some sort of innertube or fanny pack around his middle to keep him from hurting himself. I think I'd like to see a helmet too. Brilliant is the raspberry one with a big B on his middle. Bubbles is yellow and has a little bead necklace on. Boofuls is the light green lime one who is crying.
(You can see a full detail about them and what they supposedly look like here.)
While the Bassett's is not as grainy as the Norfolk Manner I tried before and the Bassett's do have a bit more flavor, I still find them a little perfumey, a little bland. The best one to me, suprisingly enough, was the raspberry one (I'm not overly fond of fake raspberry candy). I don't think I could eat very many of them in a sitting, which is what makes sweets "candy" in my book. It has to be positively difficult for me to NOT keep shoveling them into my mouth if they're sitting around. For pure addictive jelly-type candy I will always prefer Swedish Fish, Gummi Bears, spearmint leaves/orange slices, gumdrops or plain old Jelly Beans.
Rating - 5 out of 10
7 Comments:
I love Jelly Babies! And I think I've had the "real" ones, but now want to check at the British shop in Burbank that I sometimes go to.
The Albertson's on Lincoln and Ocean Park has remodelled a bit and now has a much larger international section, including several shelves of British stuff. They have the Jelly Babies there, too. (Though we didn't buy any.)
Hi Cybele,
Could you kindly tell me where the Sainsbury's is in West L.A.? I searched all over the internet, and it's probably a place I have driven by a couple thousand times, but doesn't ring a bell! :)
Thanks
Flavia, I don't know the exact address, but it's one block west of Bundy on Wilshire. If you're heading west, into Santa Monica, it's on the left-hand side of the street.
Please bear in mind that this is an itty-bitty convenience type store, not a full-fledged grocery, which is a pity.
In addition to the plethora of British sweets, they sell a remarkable assortment of sodas in glass bottles. I buy "real" Coke (read: Coke made with sugar and not corn syrup) there as well as a few other goodies.
Grace and I went there Saturday and I got some of the Bassett's Jelly Babies. Finally, a chance to say, "Would you like a Jelly Baby" in my worst Tom Baker accent!
They're not awful, but for the price they should have been better.
Bruce - thanks for the directions for Flavia.
I agree on the build up over the years of Jelly Babies in my imagination. I wished they were more like Swedish fish. And less expenisve.
Yay, thank you guys!
I will definetely check them out.
Cybele has led me to the path of loving british chocolates.
Now I can barely live without them.
Have you guys ever been to The Tudor House?
BTW, Cybele, I was there last weekend and I saw they carried Kinder Eggs.
Cheers!
I was about to post about jelly babies... 'cause I received a package of Bassett's candy from UK, then I found your blog via google. Nice post.
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