Bassetts Fundays Mint Creams

Love these! Watch out if you suck them they can go goey and stick to the roof of your mouth and make you pull funny faces trying to get it off!

I enjoy these and are great for long journeys - careful you could eat the whole pack! A steal at £1.40

I discovered these delightful candies while flying regularly between the US and the UK in the late 1980's, at which time they were marketed and sold under the Clarnico name. At times I brought home a dozen or more of the bags, exclusive of the one or two consumed during the course of the trip. After ceasing regular UK flights in 1990, I had to do largely without, except for a couple of occasions when a friend from Newcastle was kind enough to think of me when traveling here. After resuming regular flights to the UK in 1999, I found it more difficult to locate these mints, discovering them under the then-new Bassett/Clarnico name.

Bassetts Fundays Mint Creams are the favorites from all of my days of travel, and I have saved a single example, which would now require a chisel to breach. If anyone might know how I might be able to obtain them here in the US, I would be most appreciative knowing. Shipping charges even greatly exceeding the cost of the mints would not deter me.

Bassett's Mint Creams were a family favourite when I was younger, but seem to have disappeared somewhat over the last few years. It wasn't until I was walking round a bargain shop in my local town that I saw these hanging there, and I couldn't believe my luck!

History

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The company Bassett's is actually owned by the infamous Cadburys, and was taken over by them back in 1989. The original company has been around since 1842 and founded by Mr George Bassett.

Bassett's, along with these mint creams, made other confectionery such as Jelly Babies, Liquorice Allsorts and Wine Gums. Bassett's are an international company, and also sell sweets to other major countries.

Price and Packaging

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Well, as I said, I had bought this 200-gram bag of Mint Creams from a bargain shop, and they only cost me 69 pence. I have not really seen them in many other places, but I expect in other shops they would cost nearer to a pound.

The bag is quite a distinguishable design, and you should look out for the mint green coloured cellophane bag hanging up in the sweet isle when going to buy them. The well known Bassett's logo is running along the top of the bag, and there is a picture of the individually wrapped mints inside.

Good old Bertie Bassett, who incidentally is now over 70, sits in the top right corner of the bag, and is really the "Face" of Bassett's sweets. The back of the bag has limited information, but it gives nutritional information and a satisfaction guaranteed spiel from Bassett's.

Look and Smell

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Inside the outer packaging sits tons of individually wrapped mints. The smell from the sweets is very strong, and of course minty! The mints are wrapped in a white paper like covering, and have the words "Clarnico Mint Creams" written on each one. These mints are also, not so commonly, known as Clarnico. Perhaps this is why I have had trouble finding them?

Unwrapping the mints, and having a closer look before I pop it into my mouth, I can see the mint is a large chunky white disc. It has a glittery shimmer look to it, and it gives the impression of being rather creamy.

The Mint Itself

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The mint is described by Bassett's as "A Minty Fondant with a Hard Shell". This is exactly what this sweet is. I am really into all my fondant type sweets, and fresh breath is another must of mine, this explains why I love these mints so much.

Biting into the mint (only biting for the purpose of this review as normally I would stick it all in and struggle with the size of the thing!) I can tell instantly that the thing is mint! The outer layer of harder sugared mint is easy to bite through, and is actually very sweet and sugary, along with being extremely minty.

The middle of the mint is the fondant centre, and this is where I really get excited! The mint cream is truly creamy and reminds me somewhat of a thicker After Eight Mint, obviously minus the chocolate. In some respects I prefer these to the After Eight, just that they feel less sickly, but still give that nice sugar rush.

The mint flavour is not actually that overpowering, and it is fairly mild compared to mints such as the Extra Strong Mint, but fresher than a spearmint. The taste is very fresh, and also very filling at the same time. The thickness of the middle, mixed with the smooth and stronger outer layer, mixes well to produce a fantastic mint that all can enjoy.

Conclusion

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I really do love these mints, as you could probably guess. The whole mint just works well, and seems to be far more substantial than a normal mint. The price of these was a real bargain, and they seem to be lasting a good while.

It is rather tricky to get your hands on a packet of these little gems, but if you can I would strongly recommend snapping them up. They are a freshening sweet treat fit for anyone!

10/10 for the fabulous Bassett's Mint Creams! (Thank god for fondant centres!)

I hope this has been of some help, thanks for reading x x x

Extra information

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Ingredients: Sugar, Glucose Syrup, water, flavourings.

MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF WHEAT.

Suitable for vegetarians.

Made in France for Bassett LTD, Freepost MID 20061, Birmingham, B30 2QZ. UK.

Per 100grams: 365 Calories, nil grams of Fat, 91.8 grams of Carbohydrate and nil Protein.

Bassetts Fundays Mint Creams have been a personal craving of mine for about six weeks since I discovered them in a motorway sevice station. They are not very widely available though. They taste great and actually melt in your mouth.