The weather is getting warmer and the sky is less cloudy, which can only mean one thing - it's almost time for summer.
And who here isn't looking forward to taking advantage of the sunshine by spending time outdoors?
With the summer sunshine - or as much as we get in Scotland - you can bet that a lot of us will be wanting an ice cream or lolly to cool ourselves down.
Quite frankly, I absolutely love ice lollies and there is never a summer when my freezer isn't chock-full of them.
I also, notoriously, have a sweet tooth. Meaning that I spent most of my childhood - and my now adult years - munching on whatever sweeties I could get my hands on.
I particularly had a thing for Barratt's sweets that you could pop into your 'tuck shop' pick and mix bag. From fruit salads to cola bottles, I loved them all.
So, imagine my absolute delight when the frozen foods retailer went and launched retro Barratt's ice lollies, including some of my childhood favourites.
Naturally, I made it my mission to head to Iceland as soon as the sun made its rare appearance to give some of them a go. Also, there's nothing like feeling like a big kid again.
Heading to my local Iceland where I managed to pick up four ice cream and ice lolly versions of my favourite childhood sweets, here is how I got on.
What Barratts ice lollies did I try out?
Last year, Iceland launched eight brand new ice creams and ice lollies to their sweet shop inspired range. Inspired by some of Barratt's most beloved sweets from around the country, the initially sold out in record time.
So, of course, I didn't want to miss out on the hype this year.
I can safely say that I did not try out the whole eight - but I did decide to pick up four boxes that were inspired by my favourite tuck shop sweets.
Fruit salads, Wham bars, cola bottles and dolly mixture was arguably my favourite childhood snacks, so I decided to see if Iceland's dessert versions could invoke those nostalgic feelings.
It is also worth noting that you can pick up three boxes of Barratt's sweet shop ice lollies for a fiver - which, I personally think is a sweet deal.
Here is my verdict on each one.
Wham rocket ice lollies
The first ice lolly that I tried was a nifty adaptation of the popular Wham bar sweets. Also, it was a rocket lolly, and what summer isn't complete without one of those?
These fun ice lollies also come complete with two sour sugar crystal dips - which was very cool.
Let me be honest here, because this felt like a bit of a let down. I didn't feel as though the ice lolly itself really had any flavour - certainly not similar to a Wham bar.
I thought the taste would have been sweeter, but it was virtually non-existent. The only thing that made this ice lolly was the sour crystals dip, as it did add that tangy flavour that you associate with the iconic sweetie.
All in all, it wasn't enough to make this ice lolly worth it in my opinion. I would stick to getting Wham bars instead.
Rating: 1.5/5
Fruit Salad ice cream lolly
Ok, now we're talking. This taste test may not have started on the best foot, but I'm a huge fan of fruit salads and I had high hopes for this one.
And I can thankfully say that this ice cream lolly did not disappoint me. Not one bit.
This adorable ice cream lolly had all the hallmarks of a great summer treat. It was creamy, flavoursome and, quite frankly, rather pretty to look at.
The most important thing was that it actually resembled a fruit salad. From its pink and yellow stripes to its unmistakable raspberry and pineapple flavours that exploded in the mouth.
Honestly, this was a solid winner for me.
Rating: 5/5
Dolly mix ice cream lolly
What pick and mix bag is complete without a colourful assortment of dolly mixture?
That delightful little bundle of sweets might seem a little underrated, especially compared to other sweets, but that's not how anyone should feel about these ice cream lollies.
While dolly mixture flavours can be quite subtle, I found these to be really powerful - which wasn't a bad thing at all!
I was also impressed by the fact that all three colours had a different flavour, though the bottom lemon flavour may be too strong for some.
This was easily another winner for me.
Rating: 5/5
Cola bottles ice lolly
Last - but certainly not least - was everyone's tuck shop favourite - cola bottles.
What I really liked about this one was that it resembled its sweetie counterpart even in shape. It was actually shaped like a cola bottle, so kudos there.
And the comparison didn't stop there, because it tasted like one as well.
While the flavour wasn't exceptionally powerful, it wasn't non-existent like the Wham rockets, and you got the taste of artificial cola infused into the lolly.
All in all, a good finish to my challenge.
Rating: 4/5
Overall thoughts
All in all, snacking on some ice cream and lollies inspired by my favourite retro sweets was not a bad experience at all.
While I might not have tried every flavour available in Iceland's Barratt's sweet shop range, what I did manage to grab certainly reminded me of spending summer in the sun with my friends and family.
Not to mention that I felt like a kid who had just devoured as much sugar as I could.
Apart from the Wham rocket ice lollies, every one of them really resembled the memorable flavours of the childhood sweets that I got at the tuck shop.
If I had to pick a winner, it would be the fruit salad or the dolly mix flavours. Both of them were refreshing and had vibrant flavours that reminded me of my favourite sweets. It also helped that they both looked really pretty.
I absolutely would head back to try out some more in the range to see how they all tasted. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am off to see where I can get more pick and mix to keep up this sugar high.
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