The owner of the world’s oldest sweet shop says classic sweets from the 1820s are still their best sellers after 199 years in business – including pear drops, bonbons, and humbugs. The Oldest Sweet Shop was founded in Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire, in 1827 and has since survived two world wars and a global pandemic. And the time-warping store’s current owner, young entrepreneur Ben Howie, 29, says his best sellers prove Britain’s sweet tooth hasn’t changed too much over almost two centuries.