Some sweets you eat quickly. Flumps are not those sweets. The soft, twisty marshmallow shape, the strawberry and vanilla swirl, the way they resist slightly before giving way — Flumps are a slow sweet. They are also one of the most searched-for confectionery products in the UK, which tells you everything about the kind of loyal following they have built since the 1960s.
This is the full guide: where Flumps came from, what makes them different from other marshmallow sweets, and where to buy them now.
What are Flumps?
Flumps are a British marshmallow sweet made by Barratt, one of the UK’s oldest confectionery brands. Each sweet is a long, twisted cylinder made from two flavours of marshmallow: strawberry (pink) and vanilla (white), twisted together and dusted lightly on the outside.
The texture is softer than most sweets. There is no hard shell, no chew, no fizz. Just a light, pillowy marshmallow that dissolves slowly and leaves a clean strawberry and vanilla flavour behind. That simplicity is part of what makes them so distinctive in a category full of sweets that try to do too much at once.
The history of Flumps
Flumps have been made by Barratt since the 1960s, which makes them one of the longer-running confectionery products still in continuous production in the UK. Barratt itself dates back to 1848 and is one of the original British sweet manufacturers, responsible for a whole range of retro classics including Dip Dabs, Black Jacks and Fruit Salads.
Flumps occupied a specific niche from the start: a marshmallow sweet that was softer and lighter than the chewy marshmallow bars popular at the time, twisted into a shape that made them easy to eat slowly. That format has never changed. Unlike many retro sweets that have been reformulated, resized or repackaged over the decades, Flumps look and taste essentially the same as they always have. That consistency is almost certainly why people keep coming back to them.
What flavour are Flumps?
Flumps are strawberry and vanilla flavoured. The pink section is strawberry, the white section is vanilla, and the two are twisted together so you get both flavours in every bite. The strawberry is gentle rather than sharp, closer to a milky strawberry than a sour or artificial one. The vanilla is soft and creamy. Together they create a flavour combination that is sweet without being cloying, which is one reason Flumps appeal across age groups.
There is only one flavour of Flump. Unlike many sweets that have expanded into sour variants, tropical editions or limited seasonal flavours, Flumps have stayed exactly as they are. Depending on who you ask, that is either a missed opportunity or the reason they are still so good.
Are Flumps vegan?
This is one of the most common questions about Flumps and the answer is no, at least not the standard version. Traditional Flumps contain gelatine, which is an animal-derived ingredient, making them unsuitable for vegans and some vegetarians. They are also not halal for the same reason.
If you are looking for vegan marshmallow sweets, there are plant-based alternatives available that use a similar soft marshmallow texture without gelatine. The full marshmallow range includes options that may suit different dietary requirements.
Why are Flumps so popular?
Partly nostalgia, partly the fact that they genuinely taste good. Flumps sit in that category of British sweets where the emotional connection runs deep. People who ate them as children seek them out as adults, not just for the flavour but for the specific memory attached to it.
There is also something to be said for the format. Flumps are big enough to feel like a proper sweet, soft enough to eat comfortably at any age, and gentle enough in flavour that they do not overwhelm. In a pick n mix selection they provide texture contrast to the harder, chewier and more aggressively flavoured sweets around them. That makes them a reliable choice for party bags, sweet tables and pick n mix setups where you want something that appeals to everyone.
They also photograph well, which has not hurt their profile in an era when sweet tables and party bag content regularly appears on social media. The pink and white swirl is visually distinctive in a way that plain marshmallow shapes are not.
Where to buy Flumps in the UK
Flumps can be hard to find in supermarkets. Some stock them occasionally but shelf space for the Barratt range has shrunk over the years as supermarkets have prioritised their own-label confectionery. Online is now the most reliable place to find them, particularly if you want to buy in any quantity.
You can buy Flumps from One Pound Sweets as part of the full Barratt range. If you are building a retro sweets selection or putting together a pick n mix for a party, Flumps pair well with other soft sweets like foam shrimps, banana foam sweets and marshmallow pieces.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Flumps sweets