SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I should think thats the same for Cab Drivers Cough Mixture so strong you had to water it down.

When I was a child up to around the mid 1950's a very occasional (? just Christmas) family treat was a bunch of dates packed extremely tight in a narrow oval shaped box about a foot or so long. It was a heck of a job to remove the very sticky dates to eat! I don't recall seeing dates sold in such boxes for a very long time so I wonder if they are no longer sold in that form? I seem to recall I did not like dates (I may never have had any since!).

The only dates I have ever tasted were those horrible things, and they put me off ever trying any ever again

Hi Leodian and chemimike Firstly the dates in the oval box are still sold but they are not good quality .Chemimike dont give up on dates there are dates and good dates the good dates are nothing like the cheap boxed ones, they are plump soft and sweet but i would not know were to get them.A friend brought me some back from Saudi you would not think they were the same fruit.

tilly wrote:Hi Leodian and chemimike Firstly the dates in the oval box are still sold but they are not good quality .Chemimike dont give up on dates there are dates and good dates the good dates are nothing like the cheap boxed ones, they are plump soft and sweet but i would not know were to get them.A friend brought me some back from Saudi you would not think they were the same fruit.

You can definitely still buy them in the oval boxes. My local fruit and veg shop has them and so do some supermarkets.
Like your Saudi dates, bananas shipped to the UK don't taste as good as a fresh one bought from the plantation.

I remember these horrors wheeled out every Christmas!!

TABBYCAT wrote:I remember these horrors wheeled out every Christmas!!

Remember the plastic "stalk" down the centre of the box.

Leodian wrote:When I was a child up to around the mid 1950's a very occasional (? just Christmas) family treat was a bunch of dates packed extremely tight in a narrow oval shaped box about a foot or so long. It was a heck of a job to remove the very sticky dates to eat! I don't recall seeing dates sold in such boxes for a very long time so I wonder if they are no longer sold in that form? I seem to recall I did not like dates (I may never have had any since!).

Our local fruit & veg shop had them in last month, £1 a box with a small plastic fork included. My father used to love them and I seem to remember I liked them too, when offered. I looked but wasn't keen to buy them last month. Same oval box, but the top was see through.