When Pot Noodles first arrived in 1979, they were like some kind of futuristic food miracle. Golden Wonder had brought us something that would change lazy eating forever. This wasn’t just another meal – this was convenience wrapped in pure, synthetic excitement. I’ll never forget those first Pot Noodles, the surrounding fuss, the taste, the sandwiches we made with them and how they were unlike anything we had seen before.
I remember the first time I saw one. The brightly coloured white plastic pot looked like something from another world, completely alien to our traditional meat-and-two-veg upbringing. Beef and Tomato, Chicken and Mushroom – these were the original flavours that would define a generation’s quick lunch.
Instant noodles weren’t a thing back then. We’d heard about quick meals from American films, but this was different. This was British, this was ours. Just add boiling water, no actual cooking skills needed – just add the water and wait 2 minutes, stir, wait another 2 minutes and add the sauce sachet. For a generation of latchkey kids learning to fend for ourselves, this was revolutionary.
University students treated Pot Noodles like a gourmet staple. Late-night snacking, hangover cure, emergency dinner – they were versatile in a way no other food had been. The adverts only added to the mystique, making these little pots of processed magic seem rebellious and exciting.
Looking back, they were (and remain) nutritionally questionable. Lots of salt, occasional hints of something resembling meat (even though they are vegetarian), more chemistry than cuisine. But that wasn’t the point. Pot Noodles represented freedom, modernity, a break from our parents’ traditional cooking.
Today’s generation might look at them and see nothing special. For us, they were a taste of the future, served in a convenient plastic pot – a true culinary innovation of the late 70s and early 80s. I sometimes tell the younger people I was there when they launched, and they never realise there was a time before Pot Noodle. It always amuses me.
Thanks to the joy of eBay, you have every opportunity to relive find and collect rare “Pot Noodle” items. Here are some of the items available on eBay…
