Growing up in Clermiston, a real highlight was getting to go to the pick ‘n’ mix at the Woolworths in Corstorphine at the bottom of the hill.
The excitement was always palpable, for a couple of quid you could leave with an absolute haul, enough to power a young child on sugar for the best part of a weekend.
There is something magical about getting a selection of tooth rotting goodness, so when you combine it with a trip to Edinburgh’s Christmas Markets, it surely is a recipe for something special – or so I thought.
I’d gone in with the expectation I could land a decent supply for the wife, toddler and myself to enjoy some Christmas films over the weekend.
The boat was well and truly pushed out with a £10 budget – I was giddy with excitement – buzzing to come home and show the family my packed bag of goodies.
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On arrival at the pick ‘n’ mix stall – which is hidden away on the north side of this year’s Christmas Market – I was bit thrown off, I didn’t recognise a lot of the sweets on offer but the classics still remained: cola bottles, gummy bears and of course, the fried egg and my personal favourite, the jellied snake.
The sign said £2.99 per 100g. No idea about weights – I played a careful game – topping the bag up gradually, weighing it, and then returning for more.
The pick’n’mix stall.
I’m a sucker for the snake and straight of the bat, I’d already surrendered well over a quid, so I moved onto more economical items, gummy bears and pencil parts were shovelled in.
Some of the sweets on offer.
Soon they were followed by a few chocolate mice and jazzles as well as some gummy worms and these funky looking chicken feet.
I’ll be honest, my bag felt pretty full by the time I reached my £10 limit. but after handing over my hard earned cash, I peaked inside only to discover a pick ‘n’ mix bag which resembled something Scrooge would have assembled.
The contents of my bag for £10.
I left thinking at least Dick Turpin wore a mask when he robbed the highways.
At the start of the day I thought I’d return home a king but after my paltry pile of sweets was discovered by the wife – I’d been relegated to court jester.
My advice to anyone heading up for a sweet treat is to either reconsider or remortgage the house.
With that being said, it is worth noting locals get a 20 per cent discount when attending Edinburgh Christmas Market, making it somewhat more affordable for locals.
Edinburgh’s Christmas Market was also recently voted UK’s number 1 Christmas market by Local Insider indeed partly due to its comparatively good overall value for money as cited by visitors.