The 80s food items we desperately wish would come back
Take us back!
Ah, the 80s. It was a simpler time of apricot chicken, vol-au-vents and treats we wish would return. From Sizzler’s cheesy bread to Black Stump restaurants, here are some of the foodie things that we desperately miss from way back when.
Space Food Sticks
Did you know these were literally developed for astronauts? But the Space Food Stick was also considered a “good source of energy” in Australian lunchboxes back in the day. Space Food Sticks were discontinued in 2014 and then brought back briefly in 2019 to celebrate the moon landing anniversary. We want them back permanently! Or do we?
Triple treat ice-cream
Ice cream, chocolate and marshmallow all in the same bite, Triple Treat ice-creams were a star of the 80s food scene. We loved the chocolate and vanilla flavour with raspberry marshmallow in the centre.
White Knight
Bring back White Knights! This is not the first time these chewy, mint-flavoured chocolate bars have made one of our lists. Maybe they’ll make a comeback, just like Caramilk and Polly Waffles), but we hope they would tweak the problematic name slightly.
Arnott’s Adora Cream Wafers
This might just be the most retro Arnott’s biscuit ever. Adora Cream Wafers were discontinued years ago because of low demand, but the vanilla wafer fingers still have legions of fans. We also have to give a little mention to Lattices, Honey Snaps and the OG Iced VoVo, too.
Sizzler’s cheesy bread
Famous restaurant chain Sizzler’s is another foodie thing people miss from the 80s. It’s arguably most famous for its cheesy bread, and if that’s what you miss, we have some good news – we created it! With an air fryer!
The Kmart cafe
Did you know Kmart used to have its own in-store cafe called Holly’s? We sure didn’t, but a lot of our readers miss being able to grab an in-store cuppa and a bite to eat, like they used to be able to do way back in the 80s and 90s. Apparently the “chips and gravy” was the most popular menu item. Go figure.
Ham and cheese pizza pockets
We’re happy to report that these are still around (and they’re pretty easy to DIY). But ham and cheese Pizza Pockets are a huge 80s treat that we all loved to keep in the freezer. And in case you were wondering, we’ve recreated these too… in an air fryer, a jaffle machine AND a pie maker!
Scorched peanut bar
A few years back, we heard this one was returning to select stores, but we have never managed to find one. If you remember this block of chocolate with peanuts surrounded by caramelised toffee hidden inside, you’d be as frustrated as us.
All-you-can-eat Pizza hut restaurants
A true Australian icon, the Pizza Hut all-you-can-eat restaurants were well known for their pitched roof and all-you-can-eat buffets filled with jelly, salad, ice-cream, sprinkles and of course.. pizza.
Notable mentions
- Those little containers of Nutella that came with that little flat plastic spoony thing (pretty sure these still exist, though)
- Steamed dim sums with soy sauce in a greaseproof bag
- Black Stump restaurants
Forgotten recipes from the 80s
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