h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Now who in the world has invented lemon tooth paste??? And lemon Fisherman's Friend???

Both of those are available in The Netherlands. I actually tried the latter once - it was horrible!

Fisherman's friends (the allegedly edible variety) are horrible no matter what flavour they are.

I can't vouch for the taste of the other kind of fisherman's friend, as I've never eaten one.

Lemon Polo Mints are nice. Why shouldn't lemon toothpaste be?

While we're on the subject - I bought some Colgate With Bicarbonate of Soda the other day and it actually made by breath smell of fish.

No - I know what you're thinking - but it didn't already smell of fish, it was only after using the C with BOS. I have done control experiments with other varieties and my breath just smelt of...well, breath, really.

i've never seen lemon polomints -- only the citrus polo hardboiled sweets.. Wher eyou get them?

MadK, how on earth did you manage to persuade someone to check you breath to see if it smelt of fish or not? Or did you just get a load of cats round and know from the number of them that jumped into your mouth and tried to eat your tongue?

Cat Called Em, it wasn’t you was it?? Lemon Polos are one of the new varieties, along with butterscotch and little orange ones with lots of vitamin c in. Available from all good newsagents.

It was my eight-year-old daughter who pointed it out, shortly before realising her breath stank of salmon too (only the very best salmon, though).

I think you've got it slightly askew on the polos, by the way - I agree there are new citrus and butterscotch varieties, but as I understand it there is no mint involved; whereas, the lemon ones came out about five years ago and were definitely a combination of lemon AND mint. I don't think they still do them - at least, I haven't seen them.

You lot may be interested in a thread I tried to get going somewhere else, about long-forgotten confectionery - I know it's not new but, hell, it's something to talk about.

Anyone remember a chocolate bar called Lovell's Milky Lunch - a sort of cross between Milky Way and Toffee Crisp but didn't make your tongue sore like Toffee Crisp (or is that just me?). Nuttall's Mintoes, anyone. Or Riley's Toffee Rolls?

I've got a feeling these were all regional products, probably only available in the Midlands; all were around the 1960s and early 1970s.

Ooh, and I've just remembered another - no brand name this time, they were just little round toffees with a very thin coating of very cheap chocolate, they were sold loose, and my dad used to call them "chewing nuts" (they were about hazelnut size and shape).

Enough! Sorry to detain you all!

Lovells chocolate bars are still available in Sheffield. Hopefully they've not been hanging around on the shelves since the 1960s though.

Thanks for that - can you still get the Milky Lunch?

Yes, from any of the Sheffield branches of Woolworths.