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sugar
Britain: The Sweetshop of Europe
Learn about the ways Victorians used sugar, the birth of modern sweets and the creation of some of the brands we love today!
Sugar became more central to the British diet as we get closer to the modern day!
In 1704, Britain’s annual per capita consumption of sugar was 4lbs – a luxury of the elite.
In 1801, this reached 31lbs - by this point sugar had become a necessity and was almost on every table in England.
Then in 1901, the average per capita consumption of sugar was 90lbs, with one fifth of people’s daily consumption of calories being sugar!
Did you know:
The Victorians actually thought that sugar was a healthy addition to their diets, and it became common in many of the recipes for desserts and treats of time!
The Victorians used sugar in many ways, including as preserves, medicine and sweetener for various foods, but they also used a large amount of sugar to make sweets and confectionary…
The Birth of Modern Sweets
Historically, sweets and confectionary were hand-made luxuries reserved for royalty or wealthy aristocrats. For example, during Queen Elizabeth I’s annual progress around her kingdom in 1591, she stopped at the home of the Earl of Hertford, Elvetham Hall, where he put on a large culinary spectacle with more than 1,000 dishes. The most breath-taking of these dishes were the large sculptures of various animals made entirely from sugar!
However, the Victorian era was a time of inventions, and sweet making also experienced its fair share of advancements! The Industrial Revolution brought about many technological advances; including new machines and equipment for manufacturing. This advancement of technology allowed for the introduction of factory-produced sweets and confectionary, which were much cheaper than handmade ones!
Although factory-produced sweets were born, some sweets were still made using traditional hard candy equipment. Take for example this restored machine which was made in the late 1880s
Whether sweets were created using traditional methods or through newer factory production, an increase in the wages of the working and middle classes also contributed to sweets and sugary items becoming a treat for more people than ever before.
Fitting with Victorian attitudes, entrepreneurs and businessmen capitalised on the increased demand for sweets and began establishing shops dedicated to selling confectionary and other sweet items like chocolate.
The Victorian Sweet Shop
At first, sweets were sold in chemist shops and grocers’ amongst other items, but as they became more affordable, entire shops became dedicated to stocking sweets and confectionary, just as Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe looks like above!
But, I hear you cry, what sweets would you find in a Victorian sweet shop? Well, here are a few of the many new sweets that were invented and/or popular during this era.
Invented
Sweets
1777
Turkish Delight
Although invented in the eighteenth century, these became popular in the late nineteenth century.
19th Century
Hard Boiled Sweets
Lemon or peppermint flavours were particularly popular during the Victorian era.
Early 19th Century
Toffee
In many traditional sweet shops, you could find a large tray of home-made toffee on the counter. The shopkeeper would break it up with a small hammer as seen below.
c.1850
The modern-day Marshmallow
Soft Cream Centres, such as caramels
The Great Exhibition in London in 1851 was the first time “French-style” sweets made with soft cream centres were first displayed. This was achieved through new sweet making equipment. Until this, nobody managed to add a soft centre to a hard boiled sweets!
c. 1851
1861
Jelly Beans
1893
Wine Gums
Unusually, this sweet wasn’t aimed at children but at adults – hence the alcohol-inspired name. Yet these were enjoyed by children and adults alike.
Late 1880's
Fudge
1897
Candy Floss
1899
Liquorice Allsorts
These were apparently created unintentionally by a travelling salesman who dropped his tray of samples and created an assortment of shapes and colours squashed together - how lucky!
The rise of popular products and advertising
The Industrial Revolution brought with it a rise of factories. These were increasingly able to make a wider variety of goods in greater volumes, and manufacturers realised that they could capitalise on this technology to expand both the range and diversity of their products and expand their market.
For example, Cadbury’s first store opened in 1824, in Birmingham City Centre, selling tea and coffee.
From 1831, Cadbury moved into the production of a variety of cocoa and drinking chocolates made in factories, and selling to mainly the wealthy.
However, between the late 1850s and early 1860s Cadbury suffered a decline and John Cadbury’s sons Richard and George needed to turn the business around. Their solution: move their focus from tea and coffee, to chocolate, and increasing the quality of their products.
By the late 1800s, Cadbury along with other companies increased their variety of goods and became chocolate confectioners.
By the 1880s, as the variety of goods increased, there was also an increasing need to differentiate between the goods on offer. During this time there was a growing use of names that did not directly relate to the manufacturer, therefore identifiable names became a very important matter as a brand name had the potential to give a product greater allure. For example, Cadbury produced some of the finest examples of posters and press advertisements during this period. A further popular way of defining a new brand name was by simply using a final ‘o’ in the name – Oxo and Bisto.
Amidst this proliferation of new names, manufacturers recognised the importance of continuity in their efforts to cement the quality and reputation of their products in consumers’ minds. As a result, many older brands have continued to use the manufacturer’s name to this day such as Bird’s custard.
Cadbury was so dedicated to improving its quality that in an unprecedented move, it moved its factory from the city to the countryside. This move meant that it had better transport access to its milk that was shipped in by canal, its cocoa that was brought in by rail.
The Victorian era was truly a period of growth and availability for all classes to enjoy the sweet things in life that were previously reserved for nobility and royalty.