Why Is English Liquorice Called English Liquorice?
Square, round, speckled or plain, pink, white, orange: English liquorice comes in many shapes and sizes. But why is it all called English liquorice?
Very simply: because it was first made in the English city of Sheffield, by the confectionery company Bassett & Co. In England, by the way, it is not called English liquorice, but Liquorice Allsorts — in other words: all kinds of liquorice.
Oops, There You Go
The story goes that the liquorice mix was accidentally created in 1899 when sales representative Charlie Thompson dropped a tray of samples while he was showing them to a customer. The sweets ended up mixed together in a pile, and before Thompson could rearrange everything, it turned out that the customer was actually intrigued by this new liquorice mix creation. Et voilà: Liquorice Allsorts was born.
Bertie Bassett
Not long afterwards, the company began mass-producing it. It became one of Bassett’s most successful products. ‘All sorts love Allsorts and Bassett’s make ’em best!’ became the slogan, and Bertie Bassett — a little figure made from English liquorice — became the company mascot.
Without Liquorice
Did you know that in England there are also two types of ‘English liquorice’ without liquorice? ‘Fruit Allsorts’, with — you guessed it — fruit flavours instead of liquorice, and ‘Dessert Allsorts’, with flavours such as apple pie and cheesecake. The shape and texture are otherwise the same.
Which one is your favourite? Well, it remains difficult to explain, doesn’t it!
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