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Liquorice wheels
Unroll it, eat it strip by strip, and save the sugary sweet in the middle for last. The liquorice Catherine wheel is a sweet with a fireworks name.
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Liquorice wheels are a sweet you eat by unrolling. A long, flat strip of black liquorice is coiled tightly into a wheel around a little sweet in the middle, and the joy is in unwinding it.
What they are
A liquorice wheel, usually sold as a liquorice Catherine wheel, is a long strip of black liquorice wrapped around a jelly button, a small round jelly sweet coated in coloured hundreds and thousands. Barratt's version has been described by one retailer as a black liquorice strip wrapped around a jelly spog, another name for the jelly button.
Why Catherine wheels?
The sweet takes its name from the Catherine wheel firework, a spiral that spins round when it is lit. The firework in turn is named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who, according to Christian tradition, was condemned to death on a breaking wheel, which fell to pieces when she touched it. The coiled liquorice looks just like the firework's spiral.
What liquorice is made of
Black liquorice sweets are made from liquorice extract, sugar and a binder. The base is usually starch or flour, gum arabic, gelatine or a mix of these, and extra ingredients can include flavouring, beeswax for shine and molasses. The mixture is heated, shaped and then dried. Some liquorice sweets use anise oil instead of, or as well as, liquorice root extract, because the two taste so similar.
Because many liquorice sweets use wheat flour and some use gelatine, they are not always suitable for people avoiding gluten, or for vegetarians. Always check the ingredients and allergy information on the pack.
A word on eating a lot of liquorice
Real liquorice contains glycyrrhizin, a natural sweetener more than 50 times sweeter than sugar. Eating 50 grams or more of liquorice sweets a day for as little as two weeks may raise blood pressure a little, and very large amounts over time can be dangerous. See liquorice and blood pressure.
For other liquorice sweets, see Liquorice Allsorts and Pontefract cakes. We sell soft liquorice twists in our pick and mix.
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For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
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Questions and answers
What is a liquorice Catherine wheel?
A long strip of black liquorice wound tightly into a spiral around a sweet centre, usually a jelly button coated in coloured hundreds and thousands. You unwind the liquorice and eat it as you go.
Why is it called a Catherine wheel?
After the spinning firework of the same name, which is a spiral that whirls round when lit. The firework itself is named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
Are liquorice wheels gluten free?
Often not. Liquorice sweets are commonly made with wheat flour as the base. Always check the ingredients and allergy advice on the pack.
Sources
- Catherine wheel (firework), Wikipedia
- Liquorice (confectionery), Wikipedia
- Barratt Liquorice Catherine Wheels, ToffeeWorld
Keep reading
- British heritage sweetsLiquorice AllsortsLiquorice Allsorts: layered liquorice, coconut rolls and jelly buttons, first sold by Bassett's of Sheffield in 1899. What is in them, and how they began.
- British heritage sweetsWhy is liquorice called Spanish?In Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and County Durham, liquorice is called Spanish. Two old stories explain why, one about monks and one about the Spanish Armada.
- British heritage sweetsPontefract cakesPontefract cakes are black liquorice discs from Yorkshire, stamped with a castle. They began as medicine and sealed Britain's first secret ballot box.
- Diet, allergens and labelsLiquorice and blood pressureGlycyrrhizin in real liquorice can raise blood pressure and lower potassium. Guidance puts the safe limit at 100 mg a day for most people. What labels tell you.
- History and originsThe history of liquorice in PontefractPontefract grew liquorice from at least the 1600s, turned it into medicine and then sweets, and still makes Pontefract cakes, though the fields have gone.
- 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.