Flumps are one of those sweets that look like they should have a complicated backstory and don't — it's just a twisted length of marshmallow in four colours, and that's basically the whole pitch.
A simple format that's barely changed
A Flump is a length of marshmallow twisted together from pink, yellow, white and blue mallow, sold either as an individual twisted cable or in smaller Mini Flumps packs — essentially a long, soft helix rather than a moulded or shaped sweet. Barratt, the UK confectioner behind it, dates the sweet to somewhere around the 1980s, though the exact launch year isn't well pinned down in the public record; Barratt's own messaging simply notes that UK sweet lovers have enjoyed the taste since that decade.
Still getting new versions
Despite being a genuinely old format by sweet-industry standards, Flumps hasn't been left alone to simply coast on nostalgia. Barratt introduced a non-HFSS, sugar-free version in 2022, keeping the familiar pink-and-yellow colourway while meeting newer UK regulations on high fat, salt and sugar products. A heart-shaped vanilla spin-off, Flumps Hearts, followed as a Valentine's-themed release, introduced alongside a new brand mascot, George the Jaguar — proof the brand's still actively developing the format rather than just reissuing the same bag indefinitely.
Why the twist matters
The twisted-cable format isn't just visual. Compared to a solid marshmallow or a moulded mallow shape, the twist lets four colours (and, by implication, flavours) sit in the same piece without blending into a single uniform colour — you get a strand of each running through the sweet rather than a single flavour note, which is part of what's kept the format recognisable for over forty years without much need to change it.
What we stock
We carry the Barratt Flumps Sweets Box, containing 50 individually wrapped packs. It's a special-order line, so build in a little extra time against our usual delivery estimates. It sits within our wider Barratt and Marshmallows collections.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is a Flump?
A Barratt marshmallow sweet made from a twisted cable of pink, yellow, white and blue mallow.
When were Flumps first made?
By most accounts, since around the 1980s — Barratt doesn't give a precise launch date.
Has Barratt changed the Flumps format recently?
Yes — a sugar-free version launched in 2022, and a heart-shaped Flumps Hearts variant followed with new mascot George the Jaguar.
What Flumps product does Supreme Sweets stock?
The Barratt Flumps Sweets Box of 50 packs, a special-order line.
Sources: Wikipedia: Flumps; Wholesale Manager.