Swizzels Sweets: The Great British Masters of the Sweet Jar

Few names in British confectionery inspire quite as much affection as Swizzels Sweets, the colourful collection responsible for Drumstick, Love Hearts, Refreshers, Parma Violets, Double Dip and the gloriously soft phenomenon known as Squashies.

These are not sweets requiring an introduction, a manual or a fashionable celebrity endorsement. They are the familiar favourites found in childhood party bags, corner-shop selections, Christmas stockings and kitchen cupboards across Britain. You recognise the wrapper. You remember the flavour. Your hand is already moving towards the packet.

Browse our complete Swizzels Sweets collection and rediscover the chews, lollies, fizzy tablets, foam sweets and retro classics that have made the brand a British favourite.

Shop Swizzels Sweets

Why Swizzels Sweets Remain So Popular

Novelty may attract attention, but familiarity earns affection. Swizzels understands this better than most.

The brand has created sweets with distinctive shapes, colours, wrappers and flavour combinations. A Love Heart is immediately recognisable. A Drumstick lolly has its own unmistakable raspberry and milk flavour. Parma Violets could never be confused with anything else, while opening a Double Dip still feels pleasingly like operating a tiny confectionery laboratory.

Swizzels does not merely sell sugar in different shapes. It sells memories with wrappers around them. One sweet can recall a school disco, a village fête, a ten-pence mixture or the annual diplomatic negotiations surrounding a family-sized variety bag.

That emotional familiarity helps explain why Swizzels favourites continue to appeal to children, adults and serious retro sweet enthusiasts alike.

Popular Swizzels Sweets

The Swizzels range covers almost every respectable form of confectionery, from chewy bars and compressed sweets to lollipops, fizzy powders and soft foam sweets.

  • Drumstick: the famous raspberry and milk combination available in lollies, chews and Squashies.
  • Love Hearts: fruit-flavoured tablet sweets printed with playful messages.
  • Refreshers: fizzy favourites available as chew bars and compressed sweets.
  • Parma Violets: unmistakable violet-flavoured sweets with a loyal following.
  • Double Dip: two fruit-flavoured sherbet powders with a Swizzels dipping stick.
  • Squashies: soft foam sweets available in original, creamy, fruity and sour flavours.
  • Fruity Pops and Double Lollies: colourful lollipops for parties, sweet tables and everyday treats.
  • Vimto Chew Bars: chewy bars inspired by Vimto’s distinctive mixed-fruit flavour.

Swizzels Squashies

Swizzels Squashies take familiar confectionery flavours and rebuild them as soft, springy foam sweets. It sounds like a modest change until you eat one. Texture matters enormously, which is why the packet tends to become mysteriously lighter whenever nobody is watching.

The best-known variety is Original Raspberry & Milk Squashies. These pink and white sweets reinterpret the classic Drumstick flavour with a soft, pillowy chew.

Other popular flavours include:

Find Your Favourite Squashies

Swizzels Love Hearts

Love Hearts prove that a sweet can also serve as a tiny, edible greeting card. Each fruit-flavoured tablet carries a short message, making them popular for wedding favours, romantic gifts, party bags and nostalgic sweet selections.

Their brilliance lies in anticipation. Before eating one, you have to read it. This introduces a small ceremony into proceedings and briefly transforms a packet of sweets into a source of romantic guidance. Admittedly, advice such as “Be Mine” should probably not determine major life decisions, but it remains more cheerful than most horoscopes.

Love Hearts flavours have also inspired soft Love Hearts Squashies, combining the familiar mixed-fruit character with the lighter Squashies texture.

Drumstick Sweets

The classic Drumstick lolly combines raspberry and milk flavours in a chewy sweet that has survived generations of changing tastes. Its red and yellow wrapper is instantly recognisable, while the creamy fruit combination has become closely associated with Swizzels.

Drumstick has since grown beyond the original lolly. The flavour now appears across chew bars, mini sweets, Squashies and selection boxes, but the original appeal remains unchanged: sweet raspberry sharpened just enough before being softened by a creamy milk flavour.

There are more sophisticated desserts, of course. Few of them come on a stick or fit into a party bag, which rather limits their usefulness.

Refreshers, Double Dip and Fizzy Swizzels Favourites

Swizzels has always understood that sweets should occasionally involve a little theatre. Refreshers fizz. Double Dip requires assembly. Candy Whistles make a noise before they disappear. These are not passive snacks.

Swizzels Double Dip contains two sherbet flavours and a dipping stick, allowing you to switch between them or create your own combination. It is part sweet, part activity and part test of whether you can reach the bottom of the packet without decorating your clothes in sherbet.

Swizzels Candy Whistles add another layer of entertainment. They whistle, they are edible and they remain popular additions to children’s party bags and retro sweet collections.

For fans of the familiar fizzy chew, our Swizzels Refreshers selection gathers together recognisable Refreshers favourites in a gift-ready format.

Swizzels Lollipops

Swizzels lollipops are ideal for party bags, sweet buffets, wedding tables, reward boxes and traditional sweet jars. They last longer than an ordinary chew and come individually wrapped, making them convenient for sharing and celebrations.

Our Swizzels Lollipops collection includes familiar favourites such as Double Lollies and other colourful fruit-flavoured pops.

You can also send Swizzels Double Lollies by post, because receiving a box of lollipops is considerably more exciting than receiving another electricity bill.

Swizzels Pick and Mix

A good pick and mix selection needs contrasts in flavour, colour, shape and texture. Swizzels supplies all four with impressive efficiency.

Soft Squashies sit comfortably beside chewy Drumsticks, fizzy Refreshers, powdery Parma Violets, fruit-flavoured tablets and hard lollipops. This variety makes Swizzels Pick and Mix suitable for anyone who wants familiar British sweets without choosing only one type.

Popular Swizzels additions for a pick and mix include:

  • Original Raspberry & Milk Squashies
  • Love Hearts
  • Drumstick chews
  • Refreshers
  • Parma Violets
  • Fruity Pops
  • Double Lollies
  • Fizzers

Swizzels Selection Boxes and Sweet Gifts

Choosing one Swizzels sweet can be unnecessarily difficult. Selection boxes resolve the matter through abundance, which is often the most civilised solution.

Our Swizzels Selection Boxes bring together assorted favourites for birthdays, Christmas, thank-you presents, care packages and family treats.

For fans of chewy sweets, the Swizzels Chew Bar Selection Box offers a satisfying mixture of familiar bars and fruit flavours.

The Swizzels Variety Mix is another strong choice when you want several retro favourites in one assortment.

Shop Swizzels Selection Boxes

Send Swizzels Sweets Through the Letterbox

A letterbox sweet gift offers all the pleasure of a surprise delivery without requiring the recipient to wait beside the front door like an anxious spaniel.

Our Letterbox Swizzels Sweets Gift is packed with familiar favourites and designed for convenient postal delivery.

You can also choose a Letterbox Swizzels Mix or send Letterbox Squashies Sweets to someone whose week would benefit from becoming softer, sweeter and considerably more colourful.

Swizzels Sweets for Parties and Celebrations

Swizzels sweets are natural party-bag favourites because they are colourful, recognisable and available in individually wrapped formats. They also work well on wedding sweet tables, birthday buffets, Halloween displays, Christmas hampers and children’s celebration tables.

For larger events, mixing several Swizzels varieties creates more visual and textural interest than filling every container with the same sweet. Combine Squashies with lollipops, chews and fizzy tablets to give guests a genuine choice rather than the illusion of one.

Swizzels sweets can be used for:

  • Children’s party bags
  • Birthday sweet tables
  • Wedding favours
  • Christmas stockings
  • Halloween treat bags
  • Retro sweet hampers
  • Office sharing boxes
  • Film-night treats

Are Swizzels Sweets Vegetarian, Vegan, Halal or Gluten-Free?

Dietary suitability varies across the Swizzels range. Ingredients may differ between products, flavours, pack sizes and limited-edition releases.

Always check the current ingredients and allergen information displayed on the individual product packaging if you require vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free or dairy-free sweets. Product recipes can change, so the latest packaging should take priority over older information found online.

Frequently Asked Questions About Swizzels

Is the brand called Swizzels or Swizzles?

The correct spelling is Swizzels. “Swizzles” is a common misspelling of the British confectionery brand.

Who makes Drumstick sweets?

Drumstick sweets are made by Swizzels. The range includes the original Drumstick lolly alongside chews, bars and Drumstick Squashies.

Who makes Squashies?

Squashies are produced by Swizzels. Popular flavours include Original Raspberry & Milk, Rhubarb & Custard, Strawberry & Cream, Bubblegum and Sour Cherry & Apple.

What are the most popular Swizzels sweets?

Well-known Swizzels products include Drumstick, Love Hearts, Refreshers, Parma Violets, Double Dip, Fizzers, Double Lollies and Squashies.

Can I buy Swizzels sweets as a gift?

Yes. Swizzels sweets are available in variety mixes, chew-bar selections, personalised sweet jars, selection boxes and letterbox gifts.

Can I buy Swizzels sweets online?

Yes. You can order individual favourites, mixed selections, lollipops, Squashies and Swizzels gifts online from Sweets Shop.

Buy Swizzels Sweets Online

From the creamy fruit flavour of Drumstick to the fizz of Refreshers and the soft chew of Squashies, Swizzels has spent generations proving that a sweet does not need to be complicated to become unforgettable.

Choose old favourites, discover newer flavours or assemble a gloriously colourful selection for parties, gifts and private cupboard-based emergencies.

Explore the Complete Swizzels Collection

For retro favourites, soft Squashies, fizzy chews, lollipops and gift-ready assortments, shop our complete collection of Swizzels Sweets.