Soor plooms
May 23rd 2026
The Dictionaries of the Scots Language (DSL) tell us that soor plooms are, “round green boiled sweets of a tart flavour, originally associated with Galashiels”. We are also told that it was a nickname for the residents of Galashiels.
Many of the term’s earliest appearances come from advertisements. One featured in the Hawick News and Border Chronicle in April 1914 asserted that: “Visitors to Galashiels Should note that the Real and Original ‘Soor Plooms’ are only to be found from A.R. Shepherd … Originator and Sole Proprietor of this Delectable Sweet”.
Whatever their origin, these sweets have certainly left a lasting impression and are still mentioned frequently. In May 2014, the Sunday Mail referenced their strong flavour when discussing award season: “I love watching the Oscars and seeing everybody saying all that ‘it’s an honour just to be nominated’ rubbish. Then you see their faces when the split screen comes up as the winner is announced – the losers are all smiling through gritted teeth and looking as if they just swallowed half a pound of soor plooms”.
Speaking of flavour, in May 2020 the Herald reported the following exchange with a tourist: “Overheard in the newsagents at Glasgow Airport. An American lady is holding aloft a tartan-bedecked tin labelled Nippy Sweeties. She says to the shop assistant: ‘Hi! Can you tell me what these taste like?’ To which the shop assistant helpfully replies: ‘Ah’m no awfy sure, but ah think they taste something like soor plooms’”. Someone’s in for a shock.
Dictionaries of the Scots Language would like to thank Bob Dewar for illustrating our Scots Word of the Week feature.
