The Evolution of Rock Sticks in Britain

Blackpool rock sweets have been a favourite of the British public for many years. So how have their use and style changed over the years?

Traditional Holiday Sweets

In the late forties and early fifties, the city of Blackpool in the North-West of England became a very popular tourist destination. With the beautiful seaside, Blackpool illuminations and a wide variety of other attractions and facilities, it became the go-to destination for Easter and summer holidays. One key feature of visiting Blackpool were their famous Blackpool rock sticks. These are delicious boiled sweets famous in the local area and beloved for their unique texture and flavours. They were also used as souvenirs for tourists with small images of the locations visited wrapped up with the sweet itself. They famously took a long time to finish as they were too hard to chew and so were a great present to give when you got back home. Today, they are still well loved sweets by anyone visiting the city and are a fun way to commemorate their day with a sweet treat. However, the uses of these sweets have expanded since the fifties.

Rock Sweets Today

With so many years of experience by sweet makers, Blackpool sticks of rock can be designed to have custom text, designs, colours and flavours. Due to this, many people get customised rock sweets for special occasions. You can find these sweets at weddings with the couples names baked into the sweet to commemorate the day, or you can find these sweets when celebrating someone's birthday with their favourite colours and flavours. These sweets can also be used as a tool by businesses. A company can have their logo, company colours and slogan baked into the sweets. They use this as gifts for their customers to help strengthen their customer loyalty and create a more positive reputation. They are also handed out to potential customers as it gives key information about the company and is also memorable which makes them more likely to enquire about products and services.

How Are Rock Sweets Made?

Whether they are being used as a holiday souvenir or an advertising strategy, it is important that Blackpool rock sweets are made using the original techniques to keep the traditional flavours alive today. To start with, the basic mixture for the sweet is mixed together and boiled into a gooey liquid in a copper pan until it is the right temperature. Then the mixture is taken out of the pan and separated for the different colours as this is when food colouring is added and mixed in. At this point the mixture has cooled slightly and is more solid than before. It is still mouldable so it is but on the stretching machine where the flavour is added and thoroughly mixed in. After that the different colours are added back together to create the design of the sweet. At this point they are too solid to mix together and create an unwanted colour. Finally, once all the pieces are put together, the sweet is rolled and stretched to become smaller and takes on the famous stick shape. This can further be cut up into smaller pieces if necessary. Eventually the sweet is left to set and harden fully until solid.

Conclusion

The popularity of Blackpool rock sticks has not been shaken since they first became well known many years ago. For many people they are more than just a sweet, they are reminders of happy holiday memories as well as a symbol for traditional British cuisine. Even today, they are well loved by many people who are celebrating special occasions and by companies wanting to treat their customers. To learn more about these sweets, where they come from and the many different types of flavours available, visit the Promotional Candy Company website.