Thursday, January 24, 2008

Feeling Angelic?


With a few obvious exceptions to the rule (mainly noodle or cous cous based), food that comes in a ready-to-reconstitute packet can’t quite throw off it’s Bad For You, wartime or student budget image - the classic triumvirate of conceits that earn such products a prime location on any guilty pleasure seeker’s shopping list. But of all the reconstitutable powders that magically turn into food, Bird’s Angel Delight rules the roost.

Launched in 1967 as ‘a soft, smooth and sophisticated luxury you’ll love to serve’, this powdered pud was an instant hit. Back in the days when spaghetti was served on toast, Angel Delight provided the ultimate afters: a sweet, thick, creamy gloop, insanely moreish and yet as insubstantial as candy floss. But unlike our childhood days, AD hasn’t disappeared. The packaging has funked up a bit since the 70s and ‘Forest Fruit’ has been added to a line up that still includes the chemically charged tang of butterscotch, the sickly, synthetic-tasting banana and the surprisingly rich chocolate. Children of the 90s probably just cut the powder into fat lines and snort it, but aficionados whisk it with milk, wait five minutes and start slurping. The best bit is finding a little wodge of unreconstituted powder that somehow escaped the whisk in the middle of your fourth spoonful; only then do you get the full-on, intense hit of your flavour of choice, thrown in to sharp contrast by the smooth, mild-mannered slop that surrounds it.

Whisk up some guilt today.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Disco! I'm not sure what the Canadian equivalent of Angel Delight would be, but my aunt used to bring the 'authentic' stuff back from London with her when I was growing up in the 70s, I couldn't get enough of the stuff, perhaps because it was, to me, an exotic treat. Even today just reading this post brought back many a happy memory! My brother and I used to drink it like a milkshake before it had set. I hope my editors on the TG&M food pages aren't reading this!

Anonymous said...

As if my ex hadn't already convinced me (LAT, Amanda?) I now have all the proof I need that food writers are completely nuts. Read the nutritional info on your Angel Delight packets, gals - it won't take you long (unless you have a chemistry degree). Or shortcut to the facts: nutrition? You won't find it here! I agree with you that it's great fun tho and as usual, the Animal has brightened up the post-work gloom. Bye for now - 'I Love Lucy' on Paramount.

Anonymous said...

Loving the fun but missing (a) the Love Song List, (b) the personal touch. And excuse me for asking, but what happened to the Random Acts of Kindness Project?

Noticed you were blogrolled in the Guardian again on Saturday. Please don't sell out to The Man!