Sandesh, a milky sweet with a thousand iterations, is a Bengali institution. There are excellent Bengali sweets to be found across London, especially towards East Ham, but the best sandesh this writer has tried outside of Kolkata was from Praan Sweets’ Turnpike Lane branch. Praan offers two types of chennar sandesh: An off-white chinir sandesh made with sugar, and a pale golden gurer sandesh made with jaggery. Both are exceptional, taste of fresh cream, and are less sweet than one might expect. 

Suraj Sweet Mart’s cosy red interior and diya-shaped fairy lights draw hungry customers in, away from the bustling Ealing Road. The deep-fried balusahi are delicious, and look like glazed doughnuts, but have a dense, crumbly texture. Added sugar is widely considered to be the point of Diwali mithai, but for those seeking something without, try the anjeer barfi. It’s made with figs and is studded with cashews and pistachios: Imagine a health food energy ball, but actually good. 

Don’t be deterred by the festive chaos and the slightly erratic queuing system: Gupta’s in the festive season is busy for a reason. A stone’s throw from Euston, Gupta’s Drummond Street branch does a roaring trade, with patrons picking up orders by the kilogram. For a (relatively) light option, try the kacha golla, a lightly sweetened milky ball with the texture of a crumbly feta. Even rosewater sceptics have been converted by the rose sandesh, which tastes clean, bright, and lightly aromatic without being overpowering. 

Like most of the places on this list, Jalebi Junction offers all the regulars of the South Asian sweet world. It’s clear that most customers come here for one thing, however: the jalebi. The gentleman frying these syrupy tangles of golden batter at the front of the shop will not sell less than a 250g bag, so come hungry or with a friend. There are few simpler pleasures than enjoying them warm and crisp straight from the fryer, eaten out of a brown paper bag, while taking in the bright lights of Southall Broadway. 

Panji does the classics well — coconut barfi, gulab jamun, kesar peda — but it is something else altogether that captures the eye: the malai gajar barfi. This sweet looks like a miniature rectangular slice of carrot cake, but delightfully extra: A thick bottom layer of tender grated carrots cooked with milk and sugar, topped with malai (a kind of clotted cream), silver leaf, and rose petals. 

Come early to Pooja Sweets’ flagship store in Tooting — by midday in the run-up to Diwali, there are usually queues down the road. It has a huge selection of confectionery, and friendly staff offer samples and endless patience to consumers overwhelmed by choice. A standout option is the kesar peda, a melt-in-the-mouth golden sweet made with milk and saffron. For those in need of a savoury accompaniment, look behind the counter for chevdo — a moreish Gujurati snack mix of crunchy rice flakes, potato sticks, and nuts.