teas.co.uk
Tea and coffee from the brands you know
Jelly Tots
Little sugar coated fruit jelly drops, first sold in the 1960s and still sold today. Jelly Tots were invented by Dr Brian Boffey at Rowntree's.
In this article
Citable formats
For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
Free to cite, quote, and reuse with attribution to sweeties.net.
Jelly Tots are a popular children's sweet: small, round, soft fruit jellies coated in sugar. They were created in the 1960s and are still sold under the Rowntree's name.
What Jelly Tots are
Jelly Tots are soft, chewy, fruit flavoured sweets. They are round, sugar coated drops, a little like gumdrops. They contain 25 per cent fruit juices and no artificial colours or flavours.
Who invented them
Jelly Tots were invented by Dr Brian Boffey of Horsforth, in Leeds, when he was working for Rowntree's. They were launched in 1965 and quickly became established as a popular children's brand in Europe.
The Rowntree's jelly sweets
Jelly Tots belong to a family of Rowntree's jelly sweets that goes back to Victorian York. In 1881 Rowntree's introduced Fruit Pastilles, to compete with French imports, and they were so successful that by 1887 they made up about a quarter of the company's output. Rowntree's Fruit Gums followed in 1893, and much later, in 2009, Rowntree's Randoms.
Today the products still sold under the Rowntree name include Fruit Gums, Fruit Pastilles and Jelly Tots. The Rowntree brand is used by Nestlé for its jelly sweets. See Joseph Rowntree, the Quaker chocolate maker.
From Rowntree's to Nestlé
Rowntree's was founded in York in 1862 and grew into one of the big three British chocolate and sweet makers, alongside Cadbury and Fry. In 1988 it was bought by Nestlé, and in 1991 Rowntree's ceased to exist as a separate company, becoming part of Nestlé UK. The name lives on in the sweets: see when Nestlé bought Rowntree.
Jelly Tots and other children's sweets
Jelly Tots sit alongside other soft sweets made with children in mind, such as dolly mixtures: see dolly mixtures. For the difference between gummy sweets and jellies, see what is the difference between gummies and jellies?
Citable formats
For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
Free to cite, quote, and reuse with attribution to sweeties.net.
Questions and answers
Who invented Jelly Tots?
Dr Brian Boffey of Horsforth, Leeds, while he was working for Rowntree's. Jelly Tots were launched in 1965.
What are Jelly Tots made of?
They are soft, chewy, round fruit flavoured sweets coated in sugar, containing 25 per cent fruit juices and no artificial colours or flavours. As with all sweets, check the current pack for full ingredients and allergens.
Who makes Jelly Tots?
Nestlé, under the Rowntree's brand name, alongside Rowntree's Fruit Gums and Fruit Pastilles.
Sources
- Rowntree's, Wikipedia
- Nestlé, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- British heritage sweetsDolly MixturesDolly mixtures are tiny, multi coloured fondant shapes and sugar coated jellies, a British sweet aimed at young children and sold today as Dolly Mix by Barratt.
- The people behind the sweetsJoseph Rowntree, the Quaker chocolate makerJoseph Rowntree built a small York cocoa works into a chocolate giant, gave his staff pensions and doctors, and set up trusts that still exist today.
- Sweet scandals and controversiesWhen Nestle bought RowntreeIn 1988 a dawn raid on Rowntree's of York ended with the Swiss giant Nestlé buying the maker of KitKat, Aero and Smarties for £2.55bn. Here is how it happened.
- Sweet by sweetFruit gumsFruit gums are firm, chewy fruit sweets. Rowntree's began them in 1893, cut their fruit juice from 25% to 1%, and made them vegan in 2020. The full story.
- Questions people askWhat is the difference between gummies and jellies?Gummies and jelly sweets are one family. Gummy comes from the German Gummi, the British say jellies or gums, and the real difference is the gelling agent.
- British heritage sweetsOld fashioned sweets: the A to ZAn A to Z of old fashioned British sweets, from acid drops and aniseed balls to Wham bars and yellowman, with a line on each and a link to its full story.