Long before sherbet turned up in dip bags and lolly sticks everywhere, the Sherbet Fountain set the template: a tube of tangy sherbet powder you dip into rather than a sweet you just unwrap. That novelty — sherbet as an activity, not just a flavour — is still why people search for it decades on.
Barratt's tube of sherbet, since the 1920s
The Sherbet Fountain was launched by Edward Sharp & Sons in 1925, and its distinctive format — a cardboard tube of tangy sherbet powder with a stick pushed through the lid for dipping — is what turned "sherbet" from a fizzy drink powder into a standalone sweet in its own right. The brand later passed to Barratt, and is now made by Tangerine Confectionery, which owns the Barratt name.
The stick that changed
For much of its history the dipping stick was liquorice. Reports suggest the stick has switched between liquorice and a sweet, non-liquorice version at different points over the decades — exact details vary by source, so treat the specifics as approximate — but the core idea of the format, a tube you dip into rather than a sweet you simply unwrap, is what's kept it distinct from ordinary sherbet sweets.
What we actually stock right now
We don't currently stock the Sherbet Fountain itself, so we can't point you to it on the site. If it's the dip-and-lick format you're after, we carry Swizzels Double Dip 19g — Case of 36, which is in stock now and uses the same dip-with-a-stick idea. For sherbet in boiled-sweet form rather than powder, Stockley's Sherbet Lemons 3kg and Kingsway Vegan Lemon Sherbet 3kg are both in stock too.
FAQ
Does Supreme Sweets stock the Sherbet Fountain?
Not directly — we don't currently carry the Sherbet Fountain itself. We do stock Swizzels Double Dip, which uses the same dip-and-lick format, and it's in stock now.
Who makes the Sherbet Fountain?
It was launched by Edward Sharp & Sons in 1925. The brand later moved to Barratt, and is now made by Tangerine Confectionery, which owns Barratt.
Was the Sherbet Fountain's dipping stick always liquorice?
For much of its history, yes — though reports suggest the stick has switched between liquorice and a sweet alternative at different points, so treat the exact timeline as approximate.
What's the difference between a Sherbet Fountain and Swizzels Double Dip?
Both use a tube-and-stick dipping format, but the Sherbet Fountain is a cardboard tube with a liquorice-style stick, while Double Dip uses a lolly stick with two sherbet flavours and is the one we currently have in stock.