Liquorice allsorts
 | |
| Type | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Region or state | Sheffield |
| Created by | Geo. Bassett & Co |
| Main ingredients | Liquorice,sugar,coconut,aniseedjelly, fruit flavourings,gelatine |
Liquorice allsortsare assortedliquoriceconfectionerysold as a mixture. Made of liquorice,sugar,coconut,aniseedjelly, fruit flavourings, andgelatine,they were first produced inSheffield,England,byGeo. Bassett & CoLtd.
Allsorts are produced by many companies around the world, but are most popular in Europe, especially Britain and theNetherlands,where they are calledEngelse drop,meaning English liquorice. They are also common in Scandinavia, where they are calledEngelsk konfektorLakridskonfekt,and in Finland, where they are calledEnglannin lakritsi.South Africanconfectionery giant Beacon produces substantial quantities of the product, selling it locally and exporting it toAustralia,Canada,andPortugal.
History
[edit]In 1899, Charlie Thompson, a Bassett's sales representative, supposedly tripped over and dropped a tray of samples he was showing a client inLeicester,mixing up the various sweets. After he scrambled to re-arrange them, the client was intrigued by the new creation. The company began to mass-produce the allsorts as they have done since then.
Bassett's have released two varieties of allsorts that do not feature any liquorice. Fruit Allsorts feature mixed-fruit flavoured sweets, while Dessert Allsorts have flavours such as appletartand lemoncheesecake.Both retain the shapes and textures of the original sweet. Red allsorts, with fruit-flavoured liquorice, were briefly released in the late 1990s, discontinued and later reintroduced to the UK with flavours including Blueberry Cube, Strawberry Check, and a red liquorice "Betty Bassett".
Names
[edit]The original items mixed by Thompson were "chips, rocks, buttons, nuggets, plugs and twists".[1]It is not clear which, if any, correspond to Bassett's traditional allsorts, though certainly newer items have been introduced, such as the Bertie.
Bertie Bassett
[edit]
The Bassett's company mascot is Bertie Bassett, a figure made up of liquorice allsorts, which has become a part of British popular culture. The character's origins lie with advertising copywriter Frank Regan, who used the sweets and some pipe-cleaners to construct what was the original version of Bertie.[2]One of the sweets in the modern-day allsorts mix is a liquorice figure shaped like Bertie.
TheDoctor Whotelevision serial episodeThe Happiness Patrolfeatured a villain called theKandy Man,who was made from liquorice allsorts and was thought by some to resemble Bertie Bassett. Although an internal investigation concluded that the programme had not infringed on Bassett's trademark, theBBCpromised Bassett's that the Kandy Man would not appear again.[3]
In the 2001 satirical comedy filmMike Bassett: England Manager,the figure of Bertie Bassett appears in a short scene on a newspaper with the headline "Bassett's Allsorts".
As a publicity stunt, Bassett's staged a mock wedding between actors dressed as Bertie and Betty Bassett, another character composed of confectionery, at its Sheffield factory, in February 2009.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Cadbury's, Our Brands: Bassett's
- ^Wilcox, Rachel."An assortment of liquorice confectionery and fun!".chewbz.com.Chewbz Ltd.Retrieved9 May2022.
- ^Gullidge, Bedwyr (2 November 2016)."On This Day… In 1988 The Kandyman First Appeared".Blogtor Who.Retrieved19 April2022.
- ^"Sweet new bride for Bertie at 80".Metro.co.uk. 13 February 2009.Retrieved30 August2019.
External links
[edit]
Media related toLiquorice allsortsat Wikimedia Commons
