Most traditional sweet shops are full of character by their products alone; jars of sugary goodness…read moreto bring back memories, either actual or imagined. I've reviewed some good candy emporiums before, but the range here is astounding. As well as having hundreds of jars of traditional sweets, they have imported sweets and cereals from the States like Tootsie Rolls and Lucky Charms, and more modern sour/tangy sweets like Millions and Nerds. If you don't get on well with sugar, Mary's even sell around ten jars of sugar-free sweets. Top marks go to Mary's for being the only place I've seen to stock Barratt's licorice selection boxes, with licorice watches, sparklers and catherine wheels. They also have balls of mystical goodness with a Harry Potter/Willy Wonka vibe: Invisible gobstoppers. ('You don't see them anywhere else' quips the shop owner.) Talking of the shop owner, he's a joy to talk to and is very much from the same mould as Roald Dahl's aforementioned hero. A previous venture was a Beatles-themes sub-sandwich shop in Solihull called The Yellow Submachine, all kitted out in authentic decking with pieces of machinery adorning the walls! Though sadly the success of that shop was put paid to by Subway, you can count on Mary's to bring you sweet memories for years to come.

Love it Friendly and stock's everything you could think of…read more. A real old fashioned gem of a shop in the heart of beautiful Warwick.

No village is complete without a sweet shop or an ice cream shop, and this place is both, so…read morethere's a win win situation. I always love a mint choc chip flavoured ice cream on a hot summers day, and one scoop for £1.50 is about the average price at most shops, so you're not losing out there. Other flavours include the usual honeycomb, rum & raisin, vanilla and strawberry, which are basically amongst everybody's favourites. The store quadruples up as a sweets pick & mix shop, a cards shop and sells herbs/potpourri to make the house smell nice. (Humbugs additionally sells fresh farm eggs if you ask nicely enough). There's definitely quite an interesting mixture of things to purchase, but I suppose that means the shop attracts a wide range of customers. The sweets are very varied, from sweet tobacco to gummy dolphins to mint humbugs, weighed in at £1.50 for 100g. Again, a standard price at most sweets shops, so you certainly can't grumble!

Yummy! An old-fashioned sweet store, complete with all the old favourites in glass jars. Definitely…read moremore expensive than they used to be, even allowing for inflation, but that seems to be the standard for trad sweets now. Lots of choice, and plenty of things to trigger memories!

This might be one of Warwick's best kept secrets. The ice creams and gelatos are so fresh &…read moredelicious. I was spoiled for choice but finally opted for coffee latte made from Cornish cream, and a pistachio gelato imported from Turin. Amazing! This place is now definitely on my list to visit whenever I'm in Warwick. You can get your ice cream to go, or have a little sit down in one of their comfy cushy chairs. Brilliant!

Ice cream made on the farm, served in a purpose built cafe on the farm. On a fine day you can walk…read moreabout and see the cows that produced the milk that made the ice cream. 20 different flavours of ice cream and they also do cream teas and breakfasts. They also sell sell eggs and crafty gifts such as homemade teddy bears. Great place to stop after the shopping mania of Bicester Village. Come off the A34 at the Weston on the Green turn off and it is on your righ before the village.

When I had this recomended to me, it took me a while to find as is really in Weston on the Green…read more(Not that fat at all really) but once I was there, I was sold. Lots of super yummy ice cream to pick from in a lovely and relaxed setting in the countryside (Yep, cows and farm land abound) Close to two pubs that both serve food so perhaps combine with a nice lunch at either of them and then rather than have a pudding, use a walk as a good excuse and womble down to have your pick of all the ice creams that they have on offer. There is a small shop type thing on site selling all sorts of country fare and really close to a pet shop (Another small but perfectly formed excuse to pop in to see them for a little treat at the weekend?) Easily accessable from both Bicester and the A34 or the M40 No excuses!!!

Stumbled into this tea shop after touring Shakespeare's birthplace. Had a delicious tuna and…read morecucumber sandwich and coffee. Nice service. Quiet and quaint. If I wasn't just another tourist passing through, I would be back.

Wide selection of cakes on offer including banana cake, lemon drizzle cake and chocolate cupcakes…read more Prices are very reasonable too, with smaller cakes costing £1.10 for takeaway and £1.75 to eat in. I opted for an unbaked chocolate cake which consisted of a mixture of crushed digestive biscuits and fruit covered with a top layer of chocolate. It was absolutely delicious. The high tea looked really good. Unfortunately, there was no space inside the cafe, so we had to settle for takeaway and look for another place to grab some tea.

This place beats thorntons hands down. I went in there in my never ending serch for coffee and…read morechocolate addiction and found a place that I never wanted to leave. Handmade chocolates on every very clean surface called to me to pick them and the owner who was a very nice lady understood when I stood there in a panic because I couldn't decide exactly what I wanted. In the end I ended up with rather a large selection and didn't share them with anyone. (and No I didn't feel guilty) She even let me try one before I bought it.

Lovely chocolates. Lovely hot chocolate and coffee. Mm. If you want a coffee, a chocolate comes…read morewith it, which may or may not tempt you to a little box from the wide variety sold in the shop. It's very small, and in some ways it's a shame they no longer do soup and sandwiches for lunch - but on the other hand, they've stuck with what they do well. Chocolate, chocolate, and coffee. Yum.

Henley Ice Cream Parlour is family run business well renamed in Henley in Arden city that impresses…read moreme for some many reasons. This wonderful Tudor construction dated back from early 1930's is a famous homemade ice cream specialist since 1934! I have been to Henley parlour not just to test their (many) different ice cream flavours but also because I was craving for a cup of coffee and that seemed the right place to start my visit to this gorgeous city. I was right. Henley Ice Cream is a wonderful and welcoming place where customers are inviting to enjoy a lovely breakfast in a very relaxing atmosphere. Every tables has a piece of ceramic title as a simple and delicate detail of its decor. As a pretty busy establishment in the morning with visit of locals and tourists expects to have a nice chit-chat with costumers! The menu has quite a range of options and their sandwiches are good in taste and presentation! I have chosen a delicious Roast Turkey with Cranberry sauce ( £ 3.50). The tea cakes are also tempting and for only 50 pence you can have your chocolate fix right there! The average price of their sandwiches and panini is between £2.30 and £4.85 and the famous ice cream flavours that bring so many people to this shop is something to highlight indeed and I was pretty glad they have my favourite one Rum & Raising just waiting for my visit! Henley Ice Cream deliveries what its famous for, good quality homemade ice cream but also cater for everyone interesting in having a nice break in this lovely city.

My family and I used to drive to Stratford upon Avon most weekends to go and have drink or a meal…read moretogether. I had my first legal pint with my Dad at a pub in Stratford, so the area holds a lot of special memories to me. On the drive down the long Stratford Road to Stratford lies the sleepy village of Henley Upon Arden. Henley is a rich and hilly area, very sleepy and content. In the centre on Henley lies the Creamery. They only serve at the most 7 flavours of ice cream, but they do each one of them so well that it simply doesn't matter. There are real raspberries in the raspberry ice cream. There are mint leaves in the mint. The tastes are just amazing. They are slightly more expensive than ice cream bought in the shops, but it is worth it to try the homemade delights they have on offer here.