The time of publishing may have been a factor - in 1950 Britain was still recovering from the second world war, and rationing was still in force, so there would

The time of publishing may have been a factor - in 1950 Britain was still recovering from the second world war, and rationing was still in force, so there would have been nowhere near the abundance of sweet foods available that there are now. In that context even some Turkish delight could be an exciting treat.