The Spice

of Life

All anyone needs to know about Yorkshire can be found on sweet wrappers.

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When you're an eight year old and you need positive proof of the might of Yorkshire and the pride of being a tyke you need look no further than the wrappers of your favourite confectionery. By this tried and tested formula, every kid knows that our wonderful county is completely self-sufficient in the one area that really matters. Sweets.

Because you soon become aware that the finest spice on earth is made right here in Yorkshire. Anyone with a sweet tooth knows this all too well. The list of course is endless. You can waste weeks worth of pocket money and you won't get close to trying all of them.

There's Liquorice Allsorts, Jelly Babies, Fruit Pastilles, Kitkat, Aero, Terry's Chocolate Orange, Polos, Rolos, Fruit Gums, Toffo, After Eights, All Gold, Caramac, Lion Bar, Toffee Crisp, Matchmakers, Milky Bars, Black Magic, Walnut Whip, Wonka Exploders, Jelly Tots, Yorkie bars. Loads of lovely Yorkie bars!

If you were are lucky and grew up in York ('Where the men are hunky and the chocolate chunky') you had someone in the family who would come back from work with a huge bag of bits - off-cuts from the classics. These were the kids who had loads of friends. The city is our very own Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory and on a good day there's a whiff of chocolate over the city that brightens the cloudiest day.

York's connection with the confectionery business is a long one, and these days provides home to four big chunks of the world's biggest food conglomerates. Rowntree is now part of the huge Nestlé organisation and employs over 4,000 staff. This is the place that is foisting on us the Kitkat Chunky, Rolo Cookies and a whole new range of Polo flavours. Elsewhere there is traditional rival Terry's Suchard (Yes another Swiss roll-over) where two Chocolate Oranges a second roll off the production line, and boxes of All Gold are smelted. Trebor Bassett and American giant Sara Lee are also in town too.

Bassett's gave birth to the Jelly Baby in Sheffield 78 years ago (called the Peace Baby) to celebrate the 1st World War. They gobbled up Wilkinson's Liquorice makers and gave us Bertie Bassett and his Liquorice Allsorts. Finally they, like the old York firms, were swallowed up by a big eater. Trebor Bassett, the country's biggest sugar confectioner -making Trebor Mints, Maynards Wine Gums and Butterkist popcorn - are part of the huge Cadbury Schweppes empire. Owned by the Bourneville Brummies. Our hands still make the goodies though.

When you take into account the history of Toffee making at McIntosh's in Halifax (The Toffo people, now another Nestlé brand) and firms in places like Harrogate and Pontefract, Yorkshire has a grand tradition we can all be reet proud of. The big multinationals may be calling the shots these days but ourYorkshire sweet roots are as deep as mine shafts!

I was having a bit of a go at a mate from Manchester the other day and using our huge bag of sweet firms as ammunition. After all, the best that our Lancashire cousins can offer over the counter are Uncle Joes Mint Balls, Fishermans Friend, and Victory 'V' lozenges. Yuk.

"You learn at the age of eight that there's nowt for us over the far side. Yorkshire has all the best sweets. Your spice tastes like cough mixture!" I says.

"That's why all you Yorkshire have big gobs and no teeth" he says.

He's just jealous.

______________Northerner