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Seaside rock
The stick with the name of the town inside it. Seaside rock is hard, minty and still made by hand, and it has been sold as a British holiday souvenir for well over a century.
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Seaside rock is a stick of hard boiled sugar with a coloured casing, a soft white centre and words running all the way through it. Snap it anywhere and the name of the resort is still there. It is sold in seaside towns across Britain and Ireland and has been a holiday souvenir since Victorian times.
What it is made of
Rock is made from granulated sugar and glucose syrup, roughly three parts sugar to one part glucose, boiled to around 147°C. That high temperature is why it sets so hard. The white centre is the same sugar pulled on a machine until air is folded in, and the casing and letters are coloured sugar. It is most usually flavoured with peppermint or spearmint.
How it gets its letters
The words are built by hand from strips of coloured and white sugar while it is still hot, then stretched down to size as the rock is rolled out into a long rope. We explain it step by step in how they get the letters in rock.
Where it comes from
According to Candy UK, a rock maker, rock is believed to have been sold first at fairgrounds in the 19th century, as fair rock. Lettered rock is usually credited to Ben Bullock, who sent a batch to Blackpool in 1887, although Morecambe has its own claim. The full story is in where seaside rock comes from.
Rock in other places
Rock is sold at resorts including Blackpool, Brighton, Southend, Southport, Scarborough and Llandudno, and in Irish seaside towns such as Bray. Similar sweets are made abroad too: Gibraltar has its own rock, Denmark sells rock in towns such as Løkken, the Dutch have zuurstok, Sweden has polkagris, and Japan has kintaro ame, a stick sweet with a face running through it.
Different kinds of rock
As well as ordinary sticks, makers produce giant display sticks, rock walking sticks, rock shaped like food, and personalised rock with names, dates or logos inside. Edinburgh rock, despite the name, is a very different sweet: soft, crumbly and pastel coloured. It has its own entry: Edinburgh rock.
A note on safety
Rock is very hard. It is best sucked or broken into small pieces, and it is not suitable for young children because of the risk of choking.
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Questions and answers
Does seaside rock contain gelatine?
Traditional seaside rock is made from sugar, glucose syrup, flavouring and colour, with no gelatine. Always check the label of the rock you buy, because recipes vary between makers.
How long does seaside rock last?
Kept dry and wrapped, rock lasts a long time because it is almost pure sugar. Damp air makes it sticky, so keep it sealed and away from the kitchen steam.
How do you eat a stick of rock?
Most people suck it or snap off pieces. It is very hard, so take care with teeth, and it is not suitable for small children because of the choking risk.
Sources
- Rock (confectionery), Wikipedia
- My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock, Showtown Blackpool
- Sweet Seaside Treats by Peter Wade, Lancaster Civic Society
- The history of rock, Candy UK
Keep reading
- How it is madeHow is seaside rock made?Seaside rock is boiled sugar, pulled until it turns white, wrapped in a coloured casing and rolled out by hand into long thin sticks.
- How it is madeHow do they get the letters in rock?The letters in rock are built by hand from strips of coloured and white sugar while it is hot, then stretched down to size as the rock is rolled out.
- History and originsWhere does seaside rock come from?Seaside rock is believed to have grown out of fair rock. Ben Bullock made lettered rock in 1887, and Morecambe and Blackpool both claim a part.
- British heritage sweetsBlackpool rockBlackpool rock is thick seaside rock with the town's name running through it, and the subject of a George Formby song that ran into trouble with the BBC.
- Questions people askWhy is seaside rock so hard?Seaside rock is boiled to about 147 degrees C, driving off almost all the water. What is left is a glass made of sugar, hard and brittle once it cools.
- British heritage sweetsEdinburgh rockEdinburgh rock is a soft, crumbly Scottish sweet sold in sticks, invented by Alexander Ferguson, known as Sweetie Sandy. It is nothing like seaside rock.