Red and white is one of the oldest colour pairings in British sweets, and unlike some colour combinations, it tends to map onto one of two genuinely distinct flavour traditions rather than being picked for looks alone.
Strawberry: the fruit tradition
The most common red-and-white sweet is a strawberry bon bon - a red, fruit-flavoured centre wrapped in a white sugar or fondant coating. The two-tone look isn't incidental: the white coating is a separate textural layer from the flavoured centre, which is why a bon bon has a distinct bite - a firmer, sweeter shell giving way to a softer fruit filling. We stock both Kingsway and Bonds versions of the classic strawberry bon bon.
Mint: the candy cane tradition
The other major red-and-white sweet is the candy cane, where the colouring is more decorative than flavour-coded - the red stripe is usually the same peppermint flavour as the white base, coloured and twisted into a cane shape rather than representing a separate taste. It's strongly associated with Christmas in particular, more than any other time of year. We stock vegan sugared candy canes in bulk.
Why the pairing works
Unlike a colour like green, which covers several unrelated flavours loosely, red and white sweets tend to commit to one of these two clear lanes - fruity (strawberry) or minty (candy cane) - making it a fairly reliable pairing to shop by if you know which tradition you're after.
Shop the range
Browse our full pick 'n' mix range for more classic colour-coded sweets, or see our guides to purple and green sweets for the rest of the series.
Frequently asked questions
What flavour are red and white sweets usually?
Strawberry (fruit centre, white coating) or mint (candy canes) — the two main traditions.
Why are candy canes red and white?
Mostly decorative tradition — the red stripe is usually the same peppermint flavour as the white base.
Does Supreme Sweets stock red and white sweets?
Yes — including Strawberry Bon Bons and vegan sugared Candy Canes.