Back in the olden days, rubbish things seemed a lot more better. Like desserts. But back in the olden days, us Brits wanted fancier desserts!

That’s why we turned to rationing after WWII. But through all that we got Angel Delight. Probably the most gelatinous, weirdo thing ever to be conceived. And it’s delighted many a childhood since!

The Goopy Joys of Angel Delight

Okay, so what is Angel Delight? It’s a powdered dessert that, once mixed with milk and whisked vigorously, turns into a type of mousse. Good, huh?

It’s basically the working class version of Eton mess. Or a cut back trifle.

As the Angel Delight bit comes in a box with individual sachets. You take the sachet out, tip it into a bowl, and whisk it up.

There are all sorts of flavours. Strawberry is the most famous. But there’s also butterscotch, chocolate, mind chocolate, and banana.

Discontinued flavours include coffee, tea (!), black cherry, bubblegum, tangerine, and popcorn. Sadly, there appears to never have been a Marmite flavour Angel Delight. And that… is… DISGRACEFUL!

Anyway, as a foodstuff this dessert is simple and effective for families on a budget. And the results are actually not that bad at all. It’s tasty and, when you’re a kid, it was always a moment of tremendous excitement to know this stuff was for dessert.

The result is Angel Delight has joined the pantheon of great British desserts, such as legendary Jaffa Cakes. And it’s likely to stay in that holy tier as you can still buy the stuff to this day. Huzzah!

What’s the History of Angel Delight?

Bird’s launched Angel Delight in 1967 as a strawberry and cream flavour. The company became a powerhouse in instant desserts, rising to prominence in the 1970s.

The many, many marketing campaigns in the 1970s made the dessert out to be the most vital part of your life imaginable. ’70s kids no doubt still have nightmares of those ads.

Its popularity waned in the 1980s.

But Angel Delight continued with its popularity after a renaissance in the 1990s. This was helped along by an advert starring The Wombles in 1994.

So, yes, we remember consuming the stuff in its gelatinous form. It’s basically sugar in a bowl—no wonder kids love the stuff!

These days, Premier Foods run the brand. And it’s still a popular thing you can find on supermarket shelves.

Modern Angel Delight Varieties

The Angel Delight brand is still with us (as of 2023). You’ll find the sachets in most supermarkets—we see them in our local Co-Op all the time.

However, there’s a new range of the things available. Angel Delight pots!

These are ready-to-eat varieties, which are available in the classic butterscotch and strawberry flavours. These pots cost under a quid, which isn’t too shabby.

But that seems to be it for innovations on the fluffy stuff.

It’s one of those desserts we think a sect of people want to know is there, without necessarily consuming it. But its position on the market provides a sense of comfort and familiarity.

Yet if it was discontinued (as with Lilt drinks recently), there’d be an ugly riot. Well, let’s just PRAY that day never arrives.

How to Make Angel Delight

If you’re really struggling with the concept of cooking up this thing, there’s a nifty explainer video above.

Basically, you buy a box of Angel Delight. You get one of the sachets. You rip open the sachet and add the mix into the bowl. Then add milk. There we go!

Not the most difficult dish in the world, eh? But one of those weird English delights that has defined many a childhood.