The sweets named after places
Britain has a map you can eat. From Yorkshire liquorice to Borders boiled sweets, many traditional sweets carry the name of the town that made them. Here they are, region by region, with the story behind each name.
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.
Many of Britain's traditional sweets are named after the places that made them. Some are still made there, and some have become a badge of local pride, even for football clubs.
Yorkshire
- Pontefract cakes. Small black liquorice discs from Pontefract, stamped with a castle. They began as medicine: see Pontefract cakes and the history of liquorice in Pontefract
- Harrogate toffee. Created in the spa town in 1840 to take away the taste of the spa water, and still made by Farrah's of Harrogate: see Harrogate toffee
- Doncaster butterscotch. The earliest records of butterscotch link it with Doncaster, and a tin was presented to Queen Victoria in 1851: see butterscotch
North west England
- Everton toffee. Made in Everton village, now part of Liverpool, from the 18th century by Molly Bushell. It is why Everton Football Club are called the Toffees: see Everton toffee
- Everton mints. Black and white striped mint humbugs from Liverpool, linked for over a century with the club and its Toffee Lady tradition: see Everton mints
- Blackpool rock. Thick seaside rock with the town's name running through it: see Blackpool rock
- Kendal Mint Cake. A peppermint sugar bar from Kendal in Cumbria, which went to the Antarctic and up Everest: see Kendal Mint Cake
The south of England
- Brighton rock. The seaside rock of Brighton, which also gave its name to Graham Greene's 1938 novel: see Brighton rock
- Devon fudge. West Country fudge, often made with clotted cream: see Devon fudge
Scotland and the Borders
- Edinburgh rock. A soft, crumbly stick sweet invented by Alexander Ferguson, known as Sweetie Sandy, and nothing like seaside rock: see Edinburgh rock
- Hawick Balls. Minty, buttery boiled sweets from the Borders town of Hawick, linked with the rugby commentator Bill McLaren: see Hawick Balls
- Jethart snails. Snail shaped peppermint sweets from Jedburgh, known locally as Jethart: see Jethart snails
- Moffat toffee. A boiled sweet with a tangy centre, made in the town of Moffat: see Moffat toffee
- Berwick cockles. White mints with red stripes, made since 1801 and named after Berwick upon Tweed, the English town on the Scottish Border: see Berwick cockles
Named after somewhere further away
Some sweets carry the name of a country rather than a town. Turkish delight is one, and liquorice is still called Spanish in parts of northern England: see how sweets from abroad came to Britain and why is liquorice called Spanish?
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
Which British sweets are named after towns?
Many, including Pontefract cakes, Harrogate toffee, Doncaster butterscotch, Everton toffee and mints, Blackpool and Brighton rock, Kendal Mint Cake, Edinburgh rock, Hawick Balls, Jethart snails from Jedburgh, Moffat toffee and Berwick cockles.
Why are Everton FC called the Toffees?
Because of Everton toffee, made in Everton village, now part of Liverpool, from the 18th century by Molly Bushell. The club is also linked with Everton Mints and its Toffee Lady tradition.
What is a Jethart snail?
A snail shaped peppermint sweet from Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders, Jethart being the local name for the town. Legend says a French prisoner of war gave the recipe.
Sources
- Pontefract cake, Wikipedia
- John Farrah, Wikipedia
- Butterscotch, Wikipedia
- Everton F.C., Wikipedia
- Kendal Mint Cake, Wikipedia
- Rock (confectionery), Wikipedia
- Edinburgh rock, Wikipedia
- Jethart, Dictionaries of the Scots Language
- Moffat toffee, Wikipedia
- Berwick cockle, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- British heritage sweetsTraditional English sweetsA county by county guide to traditional English sweets, from Pontefract cakes and Kendal Mint Cake to Uncle Joe's Mint Balls and Love Hearts.
- 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.
- British heritage sweetsWhat people call sweets around BritainSweets, sweeties, spice, kets or lollies? What you call sweets depends on where you grew up. Britain's regional words for sweets, and a few from abroad.
- Stories, heists and recordsSweet traditions around the UKYellowman at the Lammas Fair, free mints at Everton, treacle toffee on Bonfire Night and 80 million Easter eggs: sweet traditions around the UK.
- 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 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.