In its 30+ year existence the Hostess Fruit Pie, as far as I know, never made it to the UK. My first exposure to Hostess and its fruit pie (they also make Twinkies and Cup Cakes) was in American comic books in the 1970s, where adverts like the following appeared in every issue:

Now who wouldn’t want one after that?

It took me until my first trip to America in the mid-1990s to try one for myself. The love affair has continued ever since.

I have checked the nutrition detail on the wrapper and I can confirm that:

    -They should not be eaten as part of a calorie controlled diet

    -Cockroaches will not be the only thing that will remain intact after a nuclear holocaust

Here are some key facts about this wonder of nutrition-free gastronomy:

    -Fat content one third of a normal male’s recommended daily intake (No, don’t assume that you can have one for every meal)

    -Colours are probably not from real fruit – Unless Red 1, Yellow 4 and Blue 40 grow on trees

    -Ingredients include “animal shortening”, “locust bean gum” and what appears to be a repetition of the periodic table

Sadly, these days, finding a store in America that stocks this delight of artificial foodstuffs is a challenge, so its all the more pleasing when you go into a dodgy gas station (the kind featured in films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and see a shelf full of them. Come to think of it, for all I know they’ve been there since the 1970s...