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Starrie rock
Pencil thin sticks in lemon, ginger, clove and more, made by hand to a recipe passed from owner to owner since 1833. Kirriemuir's star rock is a Scottish original.
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Scotland has its own kind of rock, and it is quite different from the seaside sticks sold at English resorts. Star rock, also called starry rock or simply starrie, is made in Kirriemuir, in Angus.
What it is
Star rock is sold in small bundles of pencil sized sticks, and it is less brittle than seaside rock. Like the soft, crumbly Edinburgh rock, it is a distinctively Scottish form of rock: see Edinburgh rock.
The Star Rock Shop
Star rock is made by the Star Rock Shop in Kirriemuir, which was founded in 1833 by David Ferguson. According to the shop, Ferguson was originally a mason from Brechin, and he created star rock after an accident that left him almost blind. The shop still trades from the same premises in the Roods, in Kirriemuir, and describes itself as the oldest producing and continuously trading sweet shop in Scotland.
The recipe has been handed down unchanged and taught to each new owner. Ferguson passed the shop to his daughter, Jean Ramsay, and she passed it to her daughter, Jean Morrison Ramsay, known as Jessie. It has had a string of owners since, and the current owner took over in 2018.
How it is made
The rock is made in fresh batches of 4.3 kilograms, which are pulled by hand, then rolled and shaped. The original flavour is lemon, and the shop also makes butterscotch, cinnamon, clove, ginger, mint and horehound.
Peter Pan's town
Kirriemuir is the birthplace of J. M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, who was born there in 1860, about 30 years after the shop opened. He is buried in the town, his birthplace is now a museum, and a statue of Peter Pan stands in the square. The shop points out that, like so many children since, he would have been able to call in on the way home from school for a sweet treat.
Other Scottish sweets
For more of Scotland's traditional sweets, see Hawick Balls, Jethart snails and Scottish tablet. For the story of seaside rock, see seaside rock.
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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 starrie rock?
A Scottish rock made in Kirriemuir, also called star rock or starry rock. It is sold in small bundles of pencil sized sticks and is less brittle than seaside rock.
Who makes Kirriemuir star rock?
The Star Rock Shop in Kirriemuir, founded in 1833 by David Ferguson, a mason from Brechin. It still trades from the same premises in the Roods and describes itself as the oldest producing and continuously trading sweet shop in Scotland.
What flavour is star rock?
The original flavour is lemon. The shop also makes butterscotch, cinnamon, clove, ginger, mint and horehound.
Sources
- Rock (confectionery), Wikipedia
- The oldest sweet shop in Scotland, Star Rock Shop
- Kirriemuir, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- 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.
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