The Blog

Liquorice Guides & Stories

History, buying guides and how-tos from the Black Liquorice Company workshop.

History of Pontefract Cakes: From 16th-Century Yorkshire to Today

How Dominican monks, Pontefract's sandy soil and a small castle-stamped disc turned a Yorkshire town into the home of British liquorice.

Classic British soft liquorice vs Nordic-style salmiak — flavour, ingredients, texture and how to pick between them.

Salmiak explained — the salted Nordic liquorice tradition and the imports we stock for UK customers curious to try it.

Heritage boxes, gift jars and tasting hampers — how to choose a liquorice gift for every kind of liquorice lover.

How our Cookery liquorice range — powders, extracts and syrups — turns up in bakes, sauces and drinks.

Every shape in the Allsorts box named and explained, plus the Sheffield origin story and how to buy them loose.

Natural dried liquorice root — how to chew it, what it tastes like, and how it becomes the sweets we sell.

Soft-eating, hard, salted, fruity, sugar-free and raw root — the full spread of liquorice styles in one guide.