Spring is in the air, and the need for bright colors after the dullness of Winter leads me to seek out British Candies. They’re not only bright and colorful, but truly satisfy even the most severe craving for the sweet stuff, just as the first daffodil bloom I see helps fill the need for growing things.

While chocolates reign supreme during Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter, fruity sweets like Nestlé’s Rowntree Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Gums, Bassett’s Fruit Allsorts, and Maynards’ Wine Gums (non-alcoholic) bring true fruit taste (nothing artificial) to your sweet tooth indulgence Springtime event. Chewy, sweet, fruity, and naturally flavored — characteristics sure to please.

For the chocoholics among you (and I include myself as one of them), Nestlé makes a version of candies similar to M&Ms. They’re called Smarties and have a colorful candy coating over milk chocolate. Of course, you can also go for chocolates in colorful wrappers, such as Cadbury’s Roses Chocolates, and get two benefits: bright hues for your sweet treat occasion and lots of that tasty, creamy British chocolate (with 14 different fillings) to keep the chocolate loving kid inside you — not to mention those around you — happy for hours (okay, maybe just a few minutes, just long enough to unwrap them, savor for a few seconds, and gobble them down).

A bit of Turkish Delight (also called “Lokum”) candy is another option. At a glance, this confection looks a bit like rock candy, but it’s soft, sugarcoated, and gummy-chewy. As the name indicates, the candy was first invented in Turkey (called “Istanbul” at that time) by a famous confectioner Bekir Effendi. This was in 1777, a year after our country, just a collection of colonies at that time, declared they would no longer recognize the sovereignty of the British throne and Parliament over them. (Yes, it was an exciting time in the world: people declaring their independence and a new candy being invented.) The original shop has lasted through five generations and is still there today. Hop on a plane, fly on over, and pick up a pound or two. Better yet, place your order online and have the candy come to you. Flavors include fruits (strawberry, pineapple, orange, lemon, and bergamot), traditionals (vanilla, cinnamon, honey, chocolate, and mint), plus a few exotics (clotted cream and rose).

With so many choices, the only problem now is deciding which to have. Some system is going to have to be devised, to be sure. How about assigning each candy to a day of the week? Okay, it’s Monday, so that means I get some Smarties. Tuesday is Cadbury’s Roses. Wednesday is for Nestlé’s Rowntree Fruit Pastilles… You get the idea.

Here’s wishing you a colorful and sweet life.

If you’re in the mood for some colorful tea commentary, head over to A.C.’s blog, Tea Time with A.C. Cargill.