In celebration of Brits being able to get back on the road to start visiting friends and family once again or plan a UK break, National Express has released the first ever range of regionally inspired travel sweets.

The Tastes of Normal limited-edition travel sweets are a homage to the simple pleasures of travel and the staple of many a journey for generations. They have been reinvented with an unexpected range of flavours inspired by favourite dishes associated with British locations, including fish and chips, pork pie, Cornish pasty, Wensleydale cheese, Eccles cake and curry*.

That's right, boiled sweets that actually taste of fish and chips.

The Tastes of Normal travel sweets come packaged in classic round metal tins, just like those that have traditionally been found at service stations and airports for decades. Each sweet tastes of a classic dish that is synonymous with a British city or region that can be visited using National Express.

The six sweet flavours have arguably never been tasted before in boiled sweet form:

â— Fish and chips - enjoyed with fresh sea air at ever popular choices for a day trip to the seaside or coastal holiday such as Devon, Brighton, Margate, Scarborough and Blackpool

â— Curry - in honour of Birmingham, the home of the Balti triangle and National Express

â— Cornish pasty - a must-taste treat for anyone visiting the ever-popular coastal county of Cornwall

â— Pork pie - the classic British snack from Leicestershire, home of the Melton Mowbray pork pie

â— Wensleydale cheese and cranberry - a nod to Yorkshire and popular destinations such as Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford.

â— Eccles cake – the only 'sweet' sweet in the tin, representing Greater Manchester.

The National Express full UK timetable with hundreds of destinations is now on sale, allowing Summer bookings when all restrictions are lifted. Customers can also book accommodation and attractions alongside their coach travel, complete with a price guarantee and ABTA protection

Chris Hardy, managing director of National Express UK Coach, said: "We suspended all services for 11 weeks at the beginning of the year so we're delighted to now be back on the road with full measures in place to ensure passenger comfort and safety.

"As the UK's largest coach operator, we've always been part of seeing friends and family, going to events, on day trips and holidays. We wanted to mark helping make this happen again in a fun way.

"Fish and chips and pork pies might not be the kind of flavours anyone would expect to taste in boiled sweet form, but each confectionary celebrates the wonderful diversity of the UK.

"We hope the tastes will take people to a place they've missed and can now happily and safely return to with National Express."

The limited-edition sweets are not for sale but will be given away to the public via National Express social media channels and the National Express website at www.nationalexpress.com/tastesofnormal. For more information and to book travel visit www.nationalexpress.com.

The travel sweets have been developed by one of the UK's leading independent confectionary creators, SpunCandy. All of the boiled sweets are gluten free and vegetarian.