Barrat Sherbet Fountains are powdered Sherbet sold in a yellow plastic tube with red lettering. The package includes a stick made of liquorice.
You can bite the top off the liquorice stick to transform it into a straw through which to suck the powder, or you can lick the stick, and dip it in the powder and use that to carry the powder to the mouth. Alternatively, you can just tip the powder into your mouth, and enjoy the liquorice on its own after.
History Notes
Barrat Sherbet Fountains first hit the market in 1925.
The company was bought out by Monkhill Confectionery, which in turn was bought out by Cadbury Schweppes.
In January 2008 the Monkhill Confectionery division was sold to Tangerine for £58m.
The yellow plastic tubes were cardboard until the spring of 2009, when the plastic was introduced to some outcry in the press.
The company said, though, that the plastic was more hygenic because the liquorice stick no longer poked uncovered out of the top, as it had previously with the cardboard packaging. Plus, it had the benefit of being resealable. The plastic tube is also designed to be tamper-proof, and keep the product fresher longer.