Heards Glucose Energy Barley Sugar product reviews

I have enjoyed sucking on a Heards Barley Sugar for many years and had not realised they were owned by RJ's. I, along with many others no doubt, used to keep a packet of these in the car as they were a great pick me up at the end of a busy day if I was tired. I am happy that these are now Palm Oil-free as I don't feel so guilty eating them!

The orange, oval, hard-boiled sweets come in an attractive green packet with pictures of the barley sugars on the front (the pictures are slightly larger than real life). Typically, when I went to open the packet, it split down the side which was a bit of a nuisance. All the lollies are individually wrapped which I thought was a little excessive as there is a lot of plastic. On the other hand, the Barley Sugars are great for popping individually in your pocket/ bag, so you can suck on one when required. The Barley Sugar wrappers were easy to open and they tasted great, smooth, and sweet with a lovely glucose flavour. These are a tasty pick-me-up that does not contain any artificial colours or flavours.

Of course, my kids loved them and this packet has now been placed in the car for when we need an energy boost. I'd definitely recommend them.

I grew up with these as the "always in the car" sweet of choice. I also remember them vividly being part of the 40 hour famine when I was a teenager. That said it must be close to 30 years since I have had one. The first change I noticed was the plastic bag - would be great to see them back in the box (easier to store as well!). I knew this change had happened and I would probably "repot" them into something a bit less likely to spill everywhere (tub/box etc) especially if storing for children to access as we had a bit of a spill when the bag was less robust than expected.

The taste was sweet but not too artificially sweet tasting and they did taste just like I remember which was excellent - although to be fair I remember the sucking sensation more than the taste and the shape being the same was another good thing to find. These are probably a staple I had forgotten to keep stock of and was lovely to get them back into my mind.

I was always a bigger fan of the glucose refreshers (think air new Zealand lollies) which were fruity and less "soft" tasting. This said they did exactly what they always have which is starve off hunger until I get to real food. I used them on a few family walks and they were perfect (I was really careful to track down all the wrappers which was the only downside for me). These are a welcome reminder that having these for trips and the kids found the "hardness" new and interesting and went back for more

The pack size is good and they lasted longer than I thought they would (I definitely remember them running out sooner when I was a kid). All in all a great find that they are still available and I will be keeping them in the car for walks and distractions (great when little miss six cut her knee).

Barley Sugar lollies are one of those treats that pretty much everyone in my generation knows of, fond memories of being given some from the grandparents stash, after a school athletics day or on a long drive off on holiday⦠I haven⠙t had any of these for several years but it was something that I remember loving so I quickly asked for this to try. The only difference that I can see is that this comes in a plastic bag instead of the box that it used to come in, I wouldn⠙t mind seeing it go back to a recyclable box over the plastic bag, just to cut down on some of the plastic, given that these lollies are all individually wrapped to begin with.

My 10yo promptly opened up the bag, sending lollies flying everywhere and quickly handed out one to all of us, before picking up the rest off the floor. My 14yo agreed that they were nice but wasnâ ™t in a rush to devour the rest, which seems to be the norm these days, I swear theyâ ™ve hollow legs. My 12yo quickly checked the ingredients, as weâ ™ve recently worked out theyâ ™re dairy intolerant and was pleased to see these were save and promptly popped one in their mouth. Even my mother wasnâ ™t left out and was given one to try and she agreed with me that they tasted just like we remember. The kids are asking that I get more when we run out and Iâ ™m happy to oblige, these will be perfect for a sweet treat now and then and Iâ ™ll be leaving some in the car for those long drives.

I have had my fair share of Heard's barley sugar sweets but I have never realized until now that they are an RJs product and I don't know if that has always been the case or if that has come about at some stage. They claim these sweets are concentrated energy and I couldn't agree more as when I was training for marathons these were my go-to sweets to have tucked away and I would take one out and suck away at it every hour to give me some more energy boosts and they worked a treat (pun intended).

This is a 110g packet that is filled with roughly 24 individually wrapped sweets that consist of cane sugar, glucose syrup, and natural flavor and color. The sweet is oval-shaped roughly around the size of a New Zealand 20 cent piece and has a very smooth surface. They are very sweet and almost have a citrus flavor similar to orange slightly as an after taste. They were invented back in 1914 with the same traditional oval shape and are still going strong today which is a testament to their quality and flavor. As soon as I opened the packet my children were wanting to have them as they know how good they are as we give them to them when we go on long walks to give them the energy they need and treat them for it. They are also very good to have on long road trips for children to keep them distracted.

I don't think I'm telling anyone anything new here but if you are wanting a sweet that gives an energy boost then these are the sweets for you. I make sure I have these on hand because they are convenient to have around just because you may never know when you may need them. They are also Palm oil-free and proudly made in New Zealand.

I remember from my primary school days, that my first taste of barley sugars was when I participated in the 40 hour famine, this was where I was only allowed to have barley sugars and Just Juice for a period of 40 hours, in an effort to raise money for charity, and provide awareness.
When I saw this product available for request, I looked forward to rediscovering the flavour which I had come to forget about. I saw a packet in my review box, and told my children the story about the 40 hour famine, and they were intrigued to see what they tasted like, and whether they thought they could last just on those.

RJ's is a NZ company who have products that are proudly palm oil free, it is nice to be able to support a company with good ethics. This product is in a 110g size plastic packet - they used to come in a box, and there are approximately 6 servings (4 pieces) in the package.
These barley sugars are made of cane sugar, glucose sugar, and natural flavours and colours, so no nasty artificial ones. The barley sugar itself is a hard candy about the size of a thumbprint, oval shaped, and a nice orange colour, each one is individually wrapped in an easy to open plastic packet.

The taste is quite unlike any other confectionery I have had, I can't even place it into words, but it is exceptionally tasty. Usually during my day I am busy rushing around, dealing with the children, working, housework, and errands, I tend to forget to fuel my body - however I pop one of these in my mouth for an energy boost to get me through until I can find something more substantial to eat.

I can't believe I forgot these little morsels existed, my daughter tried one when she was feeling unwell one day and said it worked to take the funny feeling in her tummy away, we tried them in the car as she gets carsick on trips (not great when we live rurally), she found the sucking distracted her from thinking about the winding road and the motion of the vehicle - this is a win for us!
We make sure now that there is a packet in both vehicles at all times.

When I think of Barley Sugars - school days doing the 40 hour Famine spring to mind. Sucking on them like my life depended on it, as we were so hungry. Then there's the more fonder memories of going thru my nanas handbag and finding them scattered thru out the base of the bag, then being told off for eating them all. Or that one time my cousin and I hid behind the couch and tipped all the contents out all over the floor while looking for the golden treasure, then running for our lives knowing nana was going to yell big time so we ended up hiding by the river - laughing and filling our mouths with as many as we could fit.

It's funny that I had forgotten all of this until I had one in my mouth and it all came rushing back to me. I had completely forgotten about Barley Sugars entirely exsisted until I saw this up for review. A huge part of my annual holidays at nanas revolved around these and I must of blanked them out.

I remember them coming in a box now they are in a plastic bag. I am sure the logo and the colouring are the same though. Taking it in my hand not much has changed. As soon as I put in my mouth it was like being united with a long lost friend. They taste amazing. I have started taking two a day to work so when I start feeling peckish I slip one in my mouth and suck away. Perfect behind a mask so no one sees and then when I do bite down the feeling of it sticking to my teeth then playing with it till it comes loose.

I have lost one to the floor as with my eagerness I ripped it to fast and it flew out of my hand. My daughter had the same thing happen. So we have learnt to take it easy and have a good grip. But it is beyond easy to open.

Now that this has popped back into my life I am not letting it go again. Its great to have the energy boost when I start getting sluggish and bonus moistens the mouth - which is very helpful when the masks are drying it out. Considering these have been around since 1914 and nothing has changed it definitely is a winner in my books. I just can't believe I had forgotten about them.

When I was a child, I used to be given a barley sugar every time we went out in the car. Those were the days of no in-car air conditioning, social smoking, and bumpy back roads. I always sat in the back seat and invariably one of the grown-ups would light up a cigarette. Inevitably I would be car-sick - unless I had the miracle cure in my mouth. Barley sugars would take my mind off the hot, airless, smoke-filled atmosphere of the back seat and most of the time I would avoid the indignity and discomfort of throwing up.

It was useful that I enjoyed barley sugars anyway; I liked their taste and smoothness. We did not eat lollies often. They were more of a party treat, or sometimes a reward for doing something extra special like taking your medicine. Barley sugars were not regarded as a sweet, however; they were given to children as an antidote for a tummy upset or to give them energy when they had just completed a hectic sports match or finished some demanding chore on the farm. We quickly learned to make it known when we had been involved in a strenuous activity and might not be able to stay awake to complete our homework. A barley sugar would speedily restore that lost energy.

These days there are many more types of lollies produced and a great number of yesterday's varieties are no longer available. Barley sugar, however, is as popular today as it always was, and possibly for the same reasons. It is still a useful preventative for car sickness; I usually have a few in my glove compartment just in case! I also find these lollies handy to suck on a hot day as my mouth gets very dry. It is not always possible to stop for a drink, but a boiled sweet is an excellent substitute. Barley sugars are better than most because they contain just a few simple ingredients.

Miss Nine is a great fan; she loves to travel in my car and knows where I keep my stash. Because she is not yet allowed to sit in the front, she makes sure to look in the glove compartment and help herself to a few for the journey before returning to the back seat. I have air conditioning and there is nobody smoking these days, but she assures me it is important to stop her tummy getting affected due to my erratic driving! (Although I have told her my driving is fine, she believes in having a good insurance plan just in case.)