Dip Dab: The Sherbet-Lolly Classic That Dances Across the Tongue

 Every so often, a confectionery idea hits the sweet spot: simple, theatrical, and somehow eternal. Barratt’s Dip Dab is one such creation — a strawberry-flavoured lolly paired with a sachet of tangy lemon sherbet, meant to be dipped, licked, and enjoyed in all its fizzy glory. It’s cheeky, nostalgic, and entirely deserving of its place in the pantheon of British sweets.

The Origins and Barratt Heritage

The name Barratt evokes a legacy of British confectionery that stretches back to 1848, when George Osborne Barratt founded his London sweet business. Over the years, the company became responsible for some of Britain’s most beloved treats — Fruit Salad, Black Jack, Sherbet Fountain, and of course, Dip Dab. Through acquisitions and rebrands, Barratt has endured as a symbol of traditional British fun and flavour, now under the umbrella of Valeo Confectionery. You can still see that proud legacy reflected on the Barratt website and in the history of Barratt (confectionery) itself.

The Dip Dab, sometimes called the Sherbet Dip Dab, has been a playground staple since the 1940s. A strawberry lolly paired with lemon sherbet powder, it’s a study in contrast: smooth versus grainy, sweet versus tart, order versus glorious chaos. You lick the lolly, dip it into the sherbet, and let the crackling fizz do its work. Simple. Perfect. Timeless.

How It Works — And Why It Works

The brilliance of the Dip Dab lies in its simplicity. There’s no trick, no modern gimmickry — just sugar, flavour, and a bit of theatre. The lolly serves as both a sweet and a utensil, its strawberry note cutting through the zesty sherbet like melody and percussion in perfect harmony. It’s tactile, interactive, and fun — the kind of sweet that reminds you of childhood not through flavour alone, but through the ritual of eating it.

At roughly 23 grams a pack, it’s a light treat but one with presence — a burst of sherbet energy that leaves your fingertips dusted in sugar and your face grinning like you’ve just stolen Christmas. The Dip Dab isn’t refined; it’s delightfully messy. It invites you to play, to taste, to surrender to that fizzing moment of joy.

Flavour, Ingredients and Experience

Dip Dab’s formula hasn’t changed much over the decades, which is precisely why it still works. The strawberry lolly is bright, uncomplicated sweetness; the sherbet powder, a fine mix of sugar, citric acid, and lemon flavouring, delivers a tongue-tingling sparkle. Together, they form a nostalgic duet that feels unmistakably British. It’s the culinary equivalent of running through the garden with a sparkler — small, bright, and joyous beyond reason.

Nostalgia, Memory and Meaning

For anyone who grew up in the seventies, eighties, or nineties, the Dip Dab isn’t just a sweet — it’s a time machine. It’s corner shops with faded signage and jars lined up like trophies. It’s the rattle of coins in your pocket and the thrill of choosing just one more treat. Dip Dab has survived because it taps into something deeper than flavour: the memory of a simpler kind of happiness.

In a confectionery world obsessed with reinvention, Dip Dab remains defiant. It doesn’t need to change. It knows exactly what it is — fizzy, fruity, fun — and we love it for that. Its packaging still shouts in yellow and red, its sherbet still fizzes like laughter, and its strawberry lolly still tastes like the first day of summer holidays. It’s the kind of sweet that can make a grown adult grin like a schoolchild, and that’s worth more than any gourmet truffle.

The Enduring Appeal

There’s a reason Dip Dab still stands proudly on the shelves beside newcomers and seasonal gimmicks. It represents an era when sweets were handmade entertainment, when a sugar rush was an adventure, not a scandal. Its enduring charm lies in its honesty — there’s no hidden sophistication here, just sugar, fizz, and joy. And in a world that sometimes forgets how to have fun, that feels rather profound.

So here’s to Barratt — the great British maker of memories — and to the Dip Dab, that simple sherbet marvel that continues to make life taste just a little more exciting. For as long as there are hands to dip and tongues to tingle, there will always be a place for this fizzing little masterpiece in the history of Barratt Sweets.