Aw man. You have to check out this shop - 'tis a thing of beauty! It's one of those places that any…read moreadult could not help but get a little giddy at the thought of entering. Truly, there are other shops that might claim to have that traditional vibe, but I've yet to discover a more traditional-willy-wonka-oliver-old-school kind of sweet shop. As you got in you are surrounded by shelves literally packed with sweets in jars - barley sugars, aniseed balls, chocolate pennies, sugar mice, licorice buttons - I could go on endlessly. I think it was the nostalgia that made it so exciting. There were two counters where both shop assistants had scales and aprons and measured out portions of delight to the happy waiting customers. Prices were pretty reasonable considering, I'd guess, they have the monopoly on the market - certainly in Otley at least! I left with a quarter of aniseed balls and a quarter of shrimps. One very happy camper.

This shop always reminds me of the story of Hansel and Gretel, it might as well be made out of…read moresweets. I am usually not much of a sweet toothed eater but this place always lures me in. It has very cleverly stocked a mammoth range of sweets that most people will remember from their childhood. It means that most end up purchasing a paper bag of treats, purely down to the nostalgic sugary buzz it brings with it. They have all the retro style sweets such as bon bons of all varieties, rainbow puffs, dib dabs, cola bottles, fizz whizz popping candy, flying saucers, drum sticks etc etc etc....and they also stock some classier goodies such as stem ginger (my grandma's absolute favorite). The staff are very friendly, with their wide eyed sugary stares and massive grins that you imagine to be sticky to the touch. Willy Wonka eat your heart out. They also have a website and the option to purchase from their wide selection online, although I wouldn't suggest that you make a habit of it!

I don't know how famous Brown's Famous Sweet Shop is...I may be well out of the loop but I'm afraid…read moreto say I hadn't heard the word on the street till I recently sauntered past and checked out their sugar-coated wares. YUM. For any sweetie fans Brown's should do the trick. They have many a large plastic jar of colourful scrumptious bits and bobs priced by weight, like in the good old days. Most are priced at 70p per 100g...not too bad...though hard to compare with the sweetie weighing of my childhood as I'm pretty sure the shops still used pounds and ounces or somesuch - we usually bought a quarter. Happy days...when chocolate bars were like 23p! Sigh. They also do 5 packets of crisps for £1 (including Doritos) which seems pretty bargainous considering 1 packet is probably nearing 50p at most shops these days. They also sell bars of chocolate of various sizes, a pre-packed sweetie selection of the kind you'd find in your average newsagent and boxes of chocolates for that quick and easy gift solution. So if that sweet tooth is demanding a feed and you fancy a bit of a trip down memory lane gazing wide-eyed at rows of plastic jars, Brown's Famous Sweet Shop could be just the ticket!

Spaced slightly away from the other competitiors by way of sweet shop in the Market Hall, Brown's…read moresweet shop stands, giving the other side of the market a bit of a sugar rush. With the obligitory jars and jars of old school favourites and newer sweets, there are great deals to be had here. With signs plastered all over the display, you get a rough idea of how much it is you are likely to be charged, which is something that sweet shops have sometimes neglected in the past, in my experience- prompting you to gasp when you realise you've spent over a fiver on sweets... A healthy mix between the old school sweet stall and something a little more up to date, Brown's may not be as 'famous' as it oddly claims to be in it's over ambitious self-proclaimed title, but it's worth the dosh if you have a sweet tooth, and gets a thumbs up from me.

Is soooo glad I have found somewhere to buy sweets from jars. But the proper old sweets that are…read morethe best when sold per 100g in little paper bags!! I was so excited when I finally found this little shop after wandering around the time zone that is Afflecks Palace. This place sells all the favs from dip daps, nerds and wham bars to 10 flavours of bon bons, midget gems, pineapple cubes, lager tops and so on and on and on and on..... all priced at 75p per 100g! They should change the saying from "cheap as chips" to "chip as the sweets in Retro Sweets in Afflecks Palace". A big surprise was the selection of Wonka sweets available. I have only ever seen a few varieties in Selfridges but this was just simply amazing! I can't even remember the names of them there were so many! We came away with a bag full of sweets for only £4 and were well happy! :) Shall be my new fav sugar haven.

As a traditional sweet shop in its own right, Sweet Memories is a lovely little store. It sells at…read morethe usual suspects that you could ask for in a memory lane sort of shopping experience, after all, the name encourages one to look at it this way. Whether it's those flying saucers, the foam with the sour sherbert, lollipops, cola cubes, a quarter of barley sugars - all that lovely stuff is readily available. The store itself looks aged and timely, but not necessarily in a specific 40s fashion - I merely think the shop has aged. However, having been to the delights of other traditional sweet shops I couldn't pin this one down as my favourite. It depends, I suppose, how far you might be willing to travel for your trad sweeties, doesn't it? If it's merely convenience, and you live in Pudsey, then this is a fine option. If you are a die hard sugar fan I would suggest trying the likes of Otley on for size. Just an opinion, as they are all lovely sweet shops, but I can't get enough of Otley's Traditional Sweet Shop!

Now, as lovely as sweet shops are, because of the nostalgia and niche market they are a part of…read moretheses days many tend to be all spick and span, highly trussed up affairs and carry the price tag to go with it. So as much happiness as they bring it is more of a treat than regular visit, as was in the old days. Sweet memories is something different, more like a corner shop sweet shop with a few presentation jars of sweets the shelves are packed with tubs full of old-time sweets and children buzzing around on E-numbers deciding which ones they'll get today. Liquorice lays open on wax paper, giant lollies of all sizes glair down at you, cola cubes, angel dust, peanut shaped peanut sweets, humbugs, the little scales and some modern twaddle from chuba chub.

Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shop has moved from the arcade to a much bigger more prominent spot on Albion…read moreStreet. The choice is much wider now but still has the classic olden day sweet shop feel. They have a small section of imported sweets which seem to be a bit of a craze at the moment but the majority is focused on the olden day sweets, such as fudge, nougat, sweeties, sherbet, liquorice, chocolates and so much more. The price of the Yorkshire sweets is not horrifying, I put together a birthday hamper for £15 with a nice variety of sweets. Worth a visit even if you don't want anything you will end up buying one item!

greatest sweets on the planet, forget american candyread more

its just a small shop thats nothing much to look at , but they have masses of all the sweets in…read moresame size as supermarkets sell , then 1kg tubs or 3kg bags all at good prices , they also had a couple of pens and keyrings for sale too seemed to be some rare or maybe foreign market haribos too that id never seen for sale in the uk

I don't know about you, but the Candyman for me conjures up images of the horror film made in 1992…read more Not really appropriate for the type of shop that it is but hey ho. It does actually sell sweets, so it kind of makes sense. The shop itself is essentially a large newsagent which sells tobacco products, sweets, biscuits, juice, fizzy drinks, newspapers etc but it also sells quite a large amount of stationary products. Biros, pencils, note pads, envelopes and the like are all available at wallet friendly prices. Plus, they do sell some really random ornaments, just in case you are visiting your granny and you want to pick up something for her mantle piece and also good old discounted Christmas decorations if you are one of those people who can't refuse a discount when they see one and plan for Christmas extremely early.

What an amazing sweet shop this is! I spied the retro…read morecomics first then I noticed the retro sweets in the window too. On entering the shop it was like going back 30 years or more with a mixture of all my favourite smells and genuine comics from years gone by. If you area in the area i strongly recommend you pay a visit to this shop. I did and i left 20 mins later a happy chap. Or pay them a visit on http://www.maynards-sweets.co.uk

Oooh thanks Aniela for reminding me about this little treasure trove of e numbers and sugary…read moregoodness. Is there anything more exciting, from a confectionary point of view, than sweets in jars? How quaint and fabulous. From the oldschool rosey apples and cola cubes, through to chewy sticky sweets to make your dentist cry out in horror, all the way up to the modern contribution of millions in their multiple flavours. Mix and match, throw it in the same bag, order 100grams or half a pound if you're in the sharing mood. Personal favourite, fruit rock!!! There's the usual choccies in boxes but who needs those when you've got sweets in jars that once they've been measured, yes measured, get poured into a paper bag and given the twirly treatment?

Mowers is a sweet shop in a stall in the middle space of the market. Not only does it have tubs and…read moretubs of old favourites, they also stock more modern things including drinks and full chocolate bars and packets of sweets, to keep sweet lovers happy. The lady serving is as sweet as the products they sell, and I guarentee it'll become a must for a little sugar lift on a cold winters trip to the market.

This is a nice Hotel Chocolat location, located on James Street in Harrogate town centre. It…read morefeatures a store and a small Cafe area, they manage to pack a lot into the space they have, without the store feeling too cramped. It is a premium chocolate brand, so the items are more suited for gifts than your day-to-day chocolate needs. The store inside seemed to match the high-end brand, it was presentable and modern, and the staff seemed average. They even had some of their own brand of alcoholic spirits too which sounded interesting. Sadly they didn't seem to be any sampling going on in-store on my recent visit. Opening Hours are in line with other shops in the town, closing at 17:30 Monday to Saturday, and an hour earlier on Sundays - not great but seems to be a problem throughout Harrogate's town centre. 4*

Service was excellent! Our server Poppy was so lovely! Can't wait to go back next time im in…read moreHarrogate!