Hope and Greenwood: Purveyors of Splendid Confectionery
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Published April 6th 2012
I wonder how many of us above a certain age are nostalgic for old fashioned sweet shops. Hope and Greenwood in Dulwich is not only popular with those of us who can remember traditional sweet shops, but a large proportion of its customer base is drawn from those who are too young to have set foot inside shops that once sold confectionery priced in old pennies.
Miss Hope and Mr Greenwood harp back to a time when we minded our 'Ps' and 'Qs' and shopkeepers would have been addressed deferentially using their title as well as their surname. Their shops have a distinctly English retro style and the shelves are lined with jars of sweets that are weighed out for purchase, or you can take home a whole jar full if you're feeling greedy.
They sell many old favourites including terrific toffees, chocolate cinder toffee, gobstoppers, parma violets, sherbet double dips, rainbow dust straws, acid drops, sweet peanuts, coconut ice and liquorice cuttings. If your tastes are a little more sophisticated you can tempt yourself from the selection of chocolate truffles waving at you from the shop counter. There are even varieties of sugar free goodies and organic chocolate. I was like a kid in a sweetshop and didn't know what to buy first. I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen Billy Bunter or members of the Famous Five queuing up for their sugar rations.
Hope and Greenwood don't just sell confectionery. You can also purchase home wares, including oven gloves and pinafores, tea cosies and cake tins, or you can buy one of their books.
Scarlett served me and was happy to explain that the shop had been selling sweeties for about eight years, and has now been augmented by a Covent Garden branch, as well as a new venture in Japan. The H&G range can also be bought in Selfridges, John Lewis, Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, Liberty, House of Fraser, Fenwick and Conran. So now you have no excuse not to buy their goodies.
Miss Hope and Mr Greenwood harp back to a time when we minded our 'Ps' and 'Qs' and shopkeepers would have been addressed deferentially using their title as well as their surname. Their shops have a distinctly English retro style and the shelves are lined with jars of sweets that are weighed out for purchase, or you can take home a whole jar full if you're feeling greedy.
Miss Hope, Mr Greenwood and some Liquorice - Picture Courtesy of the Hope and Greenwood Website
They sell many old favourites including terrific toffees, chocolate cinder toffee, gobstoppers, parma violets, sherbet double dips, rainbow dust straws, acid drops, sweet peanuts, coconut ice and liquorice cuttings. If your tastes are a little more sophisticated you can tempt yourself from the selection of chocolate truffles waving at you from the shop counter. There are even varieties of sugar free goodies and organic chocolate. I was like a kid in a sweetshop and didn't know what to buy first. I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen Billy Bunter or members of the Famous Five queuing up for their sugar rations.
Scarlett served me and was happy to explain that the shop had been selling sweeties for about eight years, and has now been augmented by a Covent Garden branch, as well as a new venture in Japan. The H&G range can also be bought in Selfridges, John Lewis, Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, Liberty, House of Fraser, Fenwick and Conran. So now you have no excuse not to buy their goodies.
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Why? To remember bygone times
When: Monday - Saturday 10.00-18.00, Sunday 11.00-17.00. Check the website for opening times at Covent Garden
Where: 20 North Cross Road London SE22 9EU
Cost: From pennies to pounds
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