9 forgotten canned and dried foods some people would love to bring back, including 'puke in a tin'

• You could once get almost anything in a can or a packet
• While some tinned and dried foods remain popular, many have been discontinued
• These are some of the most-missed, which fans would love to see return

There was a time before fridges and freezers became commonplace that you could get almost any food in a tin or a packet.

During wartime, you even had ‘emergency bread’ in a can, while tripe and rissoles were once popular tinned foods.

While they may not be too sorely missed, snack lovers across the nation are still mourning the loss of other convenience foods once found in a tin or packet.

Some have launched petitions calling for the return of those old store cupboard staples from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Others have tried to recreate their favourite tinned foods of old, in an attempt to once again taste the flavour of their childhood.

How many of these discontinued or little-seen tinned and dried foods do you remember, and is your favourite among them?

Heinz Vegetable Salad

Haters may have branded it ‘puke in a tin’, for obvious reasons, but this was surprisingly popular during the 50s, 60s and 70s.

While its mere mention is enough to bring back traumatic memories for some children of the era, for others it was the only way their parents could get them to eat their vegetables.

One fan said they loved it so much they used to eat it straight from the tin, others put it in sandwiches, and many people described it as a great store cupboard standby.

Heinz Vegetable Salad, which consisted of mixed vegetables in a creamy mayonnaise sauce, similar to a Russian salad, is believed to have been discontinued in the 2010s due to a lack of demand.

But many people today make their own version by mixing tinned veg with mayonnaise, pepper and a touch of Dijon mustard.

There’s also a lot of nostalgia for Heinz Potato Salad.

Goblin puddings

These boil-in-the-tin meat puddings were popular in the 70s and 80s.

You could also get sweet sponge puddings, with flavours including chocolate, syrup and spotted dick.

One person recalled: “Blue ones were meat, and red ones were steak & kidney, I think. I could just eat one of them now.”

They were promoted with a catchy jingle and the tagline ‘Goblin are the puds with the goods’.

Lots of people remembered devouring them with homemade chips and peas. But they were not to everyone’s taste, with others branding them ‘horrible’ and ‘disgusting’.

Goblin puddings were relaunched in 2014, but in microwaveable plastic pots rather than tins.

Pot Mash

Pot Noodles were launched by Golden Wonder in 1977, and they remain one of the UK’s best-loved convenience foods.

But how many of you remember Pot Mash, the brand’s take on instant mash, which came in curry and sausage flavours during the 90s?

One person who does remember called it ‘elite’, while another said it was ‘flipping lush’. There have been calls to bring it back, but sadly to no avail.

Pot Rice was also popular back in the 80s and 90s, with flavours including chicken risotto, chicken curry, and beef and tomato.

Heinz Toast Toppers

If there’s one discontinued tinned food that people of the UK miss more than any other, it’s surely Heinz Toast Toppers.

They were a store cupboard staple in many households during the 70s and 80s, saving many a snacktime.

Heinz Toast Toppers came in a variety of flavours, including chicken & mushroom, and ham & cheese.

They were controversially discontinued in 2015, with Kraft Heinz saying the decision was taken after they ‘fell out of favour’.

There have been numerous online petitions calling for Heinz Toast Toppers to return. The firm said in 2024 that it had no ‘immediate plans’ to bring them back, although it would ‘never say never’.

Surprise Peas

Peas are among the least surprising things in life, you might think, but it was not always so.

Surprise Peas were popular in the UK during the 60s and 70s, a time before freezers were commonplace in the nation’s kitchens.

You simply added hot water to rehydrate them, and they tasted just like fresh peas.

As one person commented: “The surprise was that they did actually taste like peas!”

Their popularity declined as more households got freezers, and opted instead for frozen peas.

Heinz Cream of Celery Soup

Celery soup might not sound like the most exciting of foods, but people loved Heinz’s Cream of Celery Soup back in the day.

Of all the flavours to have been discontinued by Heinz over the years, this is perhaps the most missed.

For many people, it was one of the flavours of their childhood, one that is certainly more fondly remembered than Heinz Kidney soup.

Blancmange

Blancmange was a popular dessert in the 70s, with most people using a packet mix to make the wobbly dessert.

It was often set in moulds, with a rabbit-shaped blancmange surrounded by green jelly ‘grass’ being a favourite with many children back then.

Pot Noodle Chicken Korma

Of all the Pot Noodle flavours to have come and gone over the years, chicken korma is perhaps the most sorely missed.

The loss of this snack, which came with a sachet of mango sauce, has been much lamented.

One fan complained: “You created the best Pot Noodle flavour known to mankind and tore it away from us. My heart bleeds daily for the return of the Korma Pot Noodle.”

Replying to fans calling for its return, the makers said: “We understand how upsetting the situation is and we do apologise for the inconvenience.”

Heinz Dairy Dessert

Heinz Dairy Dessert came in flavours including strawberry, banana and chocolate.

The tinned dessert was a bit like ready-made Angel Delight, for people who were too lazy to whisk it themselves.

One person called them ‘gorgeous’, while another said her baby daughter used to love them.

For more food-based nostalgia, check out our look back at some of the nation’s most-missed discontinued crisps.