Got some again as a birthday present from my son.
Black Bullets. Synonymous with Jesmond (where they were first made in 1906). Made by Maxons in Sheffield now (since the 60’s).
Thirty four years ago i was walking up the ‘wrong’ South side of the River Tees with my Grandad. My Gran was parked on the North side of the river above the High Force (waterfall) steps.
It was February.
We were nowhere near the Low Force footbridge.
He walked a few hundred metres upstream of the waterfall (which has the largest volume of water falling over an unbroken drop in England when in full spate, thereby earning its Nordic name ‘High Fosse’), and then knelt down. He then took his shoes and socks off, popped them in the poachers pocket on his Barbour. He then rolled his Farah slacks up to above the knee. Turning and looking at me, peeved to see i was still fully dressed, he rummaged in his Barbour pocket and took out two Black Bullets. Handed me one, and popped the other in his mouth. He then clambered down the bank and waded across the river to yon side. Half way across he looked back and said ‘come on then lad.’ He was bollocks deep and i was nipple deep in the crossing. I got to the other side and he was already lacing his shoes back up. He handed me another. He looked at me and said, ‘when she says ‘owt, say nowt’.
We got back to the car and Gran said ‘tha’s bloody sodden where’ve you been at’, to which my Grandad replied ‘path were a bit wet in places’.
Since that day i’ve considered these small round mints to be the spinach of Northerners.
All i’ve asked my son for every birthday for the last thirteen years is a large pot of Grandad’s sweets, and sooner or later he delivers ….