1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,960 From chocolate coins to sugar mice, everyone has a festive favourite. 2 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:11,480 Last year, we spent a phenomenal 800 million on sweets and chocolate 3 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:12,960 in the run-up to Christmas. 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,440 But this 21st-century spending spree has a long history, 5 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,280 as four modern-day professionals are about find out. 6 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:25,320 Our sweet-makers have already travelled through four centuries of 7 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:27,120 confectionery history, 8 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:31,360 grappling with archaic equipment and long-forgotten ingredients. 9 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:32,960 Oh, it looks like a fingernail. 10 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,960 Now they're heading back to experience life as confectioners 11 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,280 in Christmases past. 12 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:42,800 I have to remind myself this is not a real boar. 13 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:47,080 Our modern sweet-makers will be exploring the origin of many of our 14 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:48,720 favourite Christmas treats, and then 15 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:53,480 also be recreating others that have been lost in the mists of time. 16 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:55,800 It tastes like Christmas, like a Christmas cookie. 17 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:00,920 They'll discover how confectioners 18 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,400 created new sweet traditions in three formative eras. 19 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,000 From grown-up Georgian spectacle... 20 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,400 Oh, now it's Christmas. Looks beautiful. 21 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:13,680 ..to Victorian children's novelties. 22 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:15,720 Eight for a penny. 23 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:21,200 And finishing with the festive classics of a 1920s sweet shop. 24 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,600 Have a lovely Christmas. 25 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:26,360 Our sweet-makers will discover that 26 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:31,160 the confectionery we enjoy over the festive period not only reflects, 27 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:35,360 but has also helped to shape the very way we celebrate Christmas. 28 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:36,400 Oh, my favourite. 29 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:39,920 Green triangle. 30 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,000 At Blists Hill in Shropshire, four confectioners are starting 31 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,480 their journey back in time to Christmases past. 32 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:00,400 I love Christmas. 33 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:04,160 Christmas is the epitome of everything that I do. 34 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:06,760 Diana Short is a trained chef and chocolatier. 35 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:10,880 We work for about four months of the year towards Christmas, 36 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:12,720 so Christmas is everything in our business. 37 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:18,040 Andy Baxendale is a trouble-shooter for the confectionery industry. 38 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:21,760 I always associate, well, candy canes, 39 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,640 sugar mice and chocolates with Christmas, really. 40 00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:27,760 If I had to make one product, it would have all those elements in it. 41 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,400 Oh, my God, I love Christmas. 42 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,080 Cynthia Stroud designs bespoke wedding cakes. 43 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,640 Christmas is the only time of year that you can wake up and have 44 00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:41,080 chocolate from the beginning, you know? It's brilliant. 45 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,720 I love cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger. 46 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:45,920 But I like some of the things that are coming back, 47 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:47,920 so egg nog's a bit trendy this year. 48 00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:52,560 Paul A Young runs two boutique chocolate shops. 49 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,280 I like the kind of classic and the modern mixed together. 50 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,280 Anything that makes you feel like you've got a hug on the inside. 51 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:00,080 They'll be needing all their skills 52 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,440 as they cook their way through three centuries of the festive fare. 53 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,400 And they're starting in the late 1700s, 54 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,760 where they'll be stocking their Georgian shop window with 55 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:13,120 enticing Yuletide treats. 56 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:22,280 Hello. Hello. 57 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:23,720 Seasons greetings. 58 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,560 Thank you. And welcome to Georgian Christmas. 59 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,280 Lovely. Excellent. 60 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:30,920 So, I'm sure we are aware 61 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:35,120 of the commercial opportunity that Christmas represents. Yeah. 62 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,160 These days, we spend over 70 billion... 63 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:40,760 Wow. ..in the run-up to Christmas. 64 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:44,200 There's a whole range of things that that's spent on, from decorations, 65 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,800 to party clothes, as well as kind of food and drink, as well. 66 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:52,360 But in the Georgian era, the emphasis was really on feasting. 67 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,040 With confectionery now hitting the high street, 68 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:56,920 of course it's a huge time for you. 69 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,680 I've got two bills here, confectioners' bills, 70 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,080 and just reading through them, just looking at them, 71 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,440 you can really see the impact that confectionery was having. 72 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:09,800 So, this one, which is 1766, they buy three things in June. 73 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:11,680 And then you get to December, and all of a sudden, 74 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:13,680 there are ten things in December. 75 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:15,920 And then on the 24th alone, 76 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,760 there's this whole other chunk of bits and pieces. 77 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,360 And they're spending over £3 on this - 78 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:23,560 so about £450 in today's money. 79 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,960 You've got things like Jordan almonds, fine raisins, clear cakes, 80 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:32,280 confits, orange drops - a pound of Angelica, as well. 81 00:04:32,280 --> 00:04:36,440 So those flavours that are sweet, but are also very, very fruity. 82 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,400 That's really quintessentially what it's all about. 83 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,840 Nowadays, it's very much geared towards the 25th December. 84 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:45,040 Yes. But in the Georgian period, 85 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,640 festivities would start as early as the 6th of December, 86 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:52,320 and then really gearing up for Twelfth Night on the 6th of January. 87 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:53,640 6th to the 6th, a whole month? 88 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,680 So this is a month of carousing and drinking, 89 00:04:57,680 --> 00:04:59,760 dancing and a general debauchery. 90 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:05,120 For the Georgians, 91 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,840 Christmas celebrations culminated on Twelfth Night. 92 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:10,240 In the Christian calendar, 93 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:13,720 this was the epiphany and marked the day the three Kings visited 94 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:14,880 the infant Jesus. 95 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:20,080 Twelfth Night had been celebrated since the Middle Ages, 96 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,720 and central to the feast was the Twelfth Cake - 97 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,040 a forerunner of our modern Christmas cake. 98 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:28,920 By the 1750s, confectioners had 99 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,280 turned what were once home-made cakes into beautifully 100 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:35,600 decorated centrepieces for their festive shop window. 101 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:40,600 To create the Twelfth Cakes for their shop, 102 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:43,880 our sweet-makers will be working in a kitchen stocked with only 103 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,400 the ingredients and equipment of the day. 104 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:53,240 Ooh! Ooh! I like this. 105 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:55,720 What's that? Pomegranates. Pomegranates. 106 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:57,400 Angelica root, yes. 107 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,080 That is amazing. Oh, is that what it is? You've got Angelica? 108 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,000 Guys, it's 24th of December. 109 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,200 Oh, Christmas Eve. Oh, my gosh. 110 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:08,880 As well as their cakes, 111 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,280 our confectioners will be filling their Georgian shop with enticing 112 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:15,040 festive delicacies sold during the era. 113 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:19,880 You remember the bills that we looked at? 114 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:21,600 Well, here they are again. 115 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,000 And on here are some very, very telling items. 116 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,320 So if we look down the list, we have Jordan almonds. 117 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:35,080 In 1766, four pounds of Jordan almonds cost six shillings - 118 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,640 the equivalent of around £40 today. 119 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,720 These imported luxuries were the basis of a festive treat which no 120 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:44,920 confectioner's window would be without. 121 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,320 Now, have you heard of a thing called a sugarplum? 122 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:51,080 Yeah. Yeah. Don't know what it is. 123 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:52,960 Any idea what it is? Sugarplum fairy. 124 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:56,160 A plum covered in sugar? No, you would be forgiven thinking it was, 125 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,200 and I always think there's something quite nice about the idea somehow of 126 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:00,480 having a plum sparkling. 127 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,600 Yeah. You often find mention of plums in Georgian recipes. 128 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,120 Things like plum pudding and plum pottage. 129 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:10,600 Plum just means dried fruit, but in this case, plum means a nut. 130 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,960 So it is a sugared almond. Sugared almonds! Wow. 131 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:17,240 Have a lot of fun. Thank you very much. 132 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:21,880 The sugarplum - or sugar almond - recipe comes from a 1772 book, 133 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:23,840 the Court And Country Confectioner. 134 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,920 It explains how the layers of sugar have to be slowly built up - 135 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:31,720 a process that can take all day. 136 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:34,360 So Paul and Andy are keen to get going. 137 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:36,560 So... Sugared almonds. 138 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:38,720 Lovely. So we need some almonds. 139 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,320 And we need to dry them in the balancing pan. 140 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:43,200 We've got our fire on, ready. 141 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:45,680 Yeah. So, I'm going to grab my stool. 142 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,320 OK, you warm those up. I'll make some gum arabic solution. 143 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:49,840 Smashing. Let's get these in. 144 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,640 The balancing pan is a piece of equipment confectioners have used 145 00:07:58,640 --> 00:07:59,800 since Tudor times. 146 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:03,720 Suspended over a charcoal burner, 147 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,640 the pan slowly dries the nuts before they can be sealed with a syrup made 148 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:10,720 from sugar and gum arabic - a type of sap. 149 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:13,080 I'll just warm these through and take them out if I need to 150 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:16,080 because they might get a bit too hot. 151 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:18,080 It's really hard, this gum stuff. 152 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,760 It is interesting stuff, though, isn't it? 153 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,240 Exactly. It comes out of the side of the tree. 154 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:25,840 Wow. Are they nice and dry now? 155 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,400 They're very, very dry and just warm. 156 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,280 OK, coming over. OK. Great, we're ready. 157 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:36,000 Mind your fingers until I've got it on. 158 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:40,080 That is so much more syrupy than I thought it would be. 159 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,320 Woo, it's hot. 160 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,920 But they're drying, they're getting crystal-y. 161 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:52,040 They're getting well sealed. Yeah. 162 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,720 The ridges and the skin on the almonds are quite 163 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:55,760 good for holding on. 164 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,360 Probably best that we didn't blanch them, as well, because... 165 00:08:58,360 --> 00:08:59,520 Oh, yeah, definitely. 166 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:05,400 The nuts will now need at least 20 coats of sugar syrup before becoming 167 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,640 the sweet temptations familiar to the Georgian customer. 168 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:12,400 I'm just thinking about how many layers of sugar we've got to get 169 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:13,960 on these to make them really smooth. 170 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:17,280 We'll share the load, I think. We'll take shifts. 171 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:20,760 The confectioners' clientele 172 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,800 included both the aristocracy and an increasingly 173 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:27,960 wealthy middle class who were keen to show off their new status. 174 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:30,920 They flocked to Britain's flourishing high streets 175 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:33,600 to spend money on luxury goods. 176 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:35,720 Enticed into a shop by familiar 177 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:38,360 festive treats such as sugarplums 178 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:42,840 and Twelfth Cake, browsing customers might be persuaded to try some new, 179 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:45,160 more exotic Christmas products. 180 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:48,360 Spongati? 181 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:50,480 Spongati. Or Italian Christmas cake. 182 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:51,800 Oh, Christmas cake! 183 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,960 It says five yolks of fresh eggs, 1lb 7oz of sugar. 184 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:57,600 OK. Bread. 185 00:09:57,600 --> 00:09:59,680 Bread? Oh, breadcrumbs. 186 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:01,520 Almonds. 187 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:03,160 Cloves. 188 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,880 So, obviously, we have cinnamon and clove, it's all those sort of, 189 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,120 you know, Christmassy, gingerbread-y kind of spices. 190 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,720 Yeah. So this is going to be kind of like panforte, maybe. 191 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,560 In 1820, Italian confectioner Guglielmo Jarrin 192 00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:22,040 introduced his London customers to spongati - 193 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:26,160 a Christmas treat from his hometown near Parma. 194 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:30,120 Jarrin was among a number of Italians who settled in London, 195 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:32,160 bringing their Christmas traditions with them. 196 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:35,600 Sugar. 197 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:38,640 Oh, yeah. 198 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:44,280 Gosh, this seems like a lot of sugar. 199 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:49,200 Spongati were a northern Italian winter treat, 200 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:52,000 claimed to have been made since Roman times. 201 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:56,920 This particular recipe features a spicy filling encased in a hard, 202 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:58,000 sugar paste shell. 203 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:01,960 This thing's really thirsty. 204 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:06,080 I feel like I'm adding loads and loads and loads of liquid 205 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,760 and it's just vanishing. How are you doing? 206 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:11,160 This is a nightmare, this stuff. 207 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:15,840 What you making? It's kind of like a panforte-type thing. 208 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:19,000 Oh, look! Spongati. Can I taste it? Yeah. 209 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:23,480 So it's kind of like a sugary, almond-y paste with spices, 210 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:25,720 held together with egg yolk. That is delicious. That is one 211 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,320 of the nicest things I think I might have ever eaten. Honestly. Wow. 212 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:32,120 VOICEOVER: With the shell and filling ready, 213 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,360 the spongati can now be assembled in wooden moulds. 214 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:36,760 Yeah, those, they are nice. 215 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:38,920 Right. So I grab wafer paper. Wafer paper. 216 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:40,840 So, if I take a bit of this... 217 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:45,560 So, this gets pressed in. 218 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:48,120 So it's, like, half a layer. 219 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,560 VOICEOVER: Intricate moulds, sometimes called boards or cards, 220 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:54,640 were often skilfully carved by the confectioners themselves. 221 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,400 Jarrin began his London career making moulds 222 00:11:57,400 --> 00:11:59,280 for Twelfth Cake decorations. 223 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:01,720 It has to be quite a thin layer. I've never seen anything quite 224 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,680 like it, to be honest, the mould. That has not gone according to plan. 225 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,240 Hang on. 226 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:11,800 It's sticking more than I thought, to be honest. 227 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:15,280 Is it? Yeah, it's sticking to this wood here, as well. 228 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:20,400 Ooh. Oh! Much better! 229 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:21,600 Oh, look! Lovely. 230 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:23,080 That looks beautiful. That's better. 231 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,440 Do you think we should be singing a Christmas carol at this point? 232 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:27,600 # Good King Wenceslas looked out 233 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,320 # From his bedroom window On the feast of Stephen 234 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:33,080 # When the snow lay round about 235 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,520 # Deep and crisp and even 236 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,400 # Brightly shone the moon that night 237 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:40,480 # Though the frost was cru-el 238 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:47,440 # When a poor man came in sight gathering winter fu-el. # 239 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:49,720 That's the only verse I know. Me, too! 240 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:55,800 He was out for pizza, wasn't he? Eh? Deep pan, crisp and even. 241 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:57,920 LAUGHTER 242 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:00,840 Don't you want a taste? 243 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:02,720 Yes. Yes, please. Never had it, ever. 244 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:06,440 VOICEOVER: The spongati SHOULD be dried in a low oven overnight, 245 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:09,720 but our sweet-makers are eager to taste them straightaway. 246 00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:14,160 It's... It tastes like Christmas. Like a Christmas cookie. 247 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,080 VOICEOVER: They never became a Christmas classic here, 248 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:22,560 but spongati are still eaten in the region around Palma in Italy, 249 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:23,840 where Jarrin came from. 250 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:28,400 I would make those. Beautiful. I was thinking I would make those. 251 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,280 Great presents for people. Yeah. I'd make those. 252 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:35,840 Unusual, as well. A little bit of chocolate on the bottom there. Oh... 253 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:41,960 Whilst spongati were a new import, 254 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:45,480 many of the confectioners' festive treats, such as sugarplums, 255 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,040 dated back to at least Tudor times. 256 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:56,520 And some Georgian Christmas traditions 257 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:58,600 had even more ancient roots. 258 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:06,040 In pre-Christian Britain, winter solstice, or Yuletide, 259 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:09,120 had long been celebrated by pagans. 260 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:13,320 The shortest days of the year were marked by feasting and drinking. 261 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:16,760 Evergreen plants were revered as a sign of life during the dark 262 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:20,840 winter months, and fire rituals banished the darkness, 263 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:22,880 welcoming the light of days to come. 264 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:28,720 In an echo of these earlier times, Georgians decorated their shops 265 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,160 and houses with holly, mistletoe and ivy. 266 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:36,400 And the largest log they could find was dragged into the house on 267 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:40,120 Christmas Eve and burnt throughout the 12 days of Christmas. 268 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,280 Known as the Yule log, 269 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:48,240 it brought warmth and light to the celebrations, 270 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:52,160 but it was also believed to ward off evil and usher in prosperity 271 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:53,960 for the year to come. 272 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:02,000 An echo of the pre-Christian Yuletide 273 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,240 also found its way into the Georgian kitchen. 274 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:09,560 Oh, It smells so good. It smells really lovely, actually. 275 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:13,200 It smells like gin. It smells really strongly of gin. 276 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:17,240 Angelica has been used as a medicinal plant since ancient times, 277 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:21,280 and today it can be bought as bright green diamonds for cake decorations. 278 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:24,440 They taste quite sweet. 279 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:26,000 That first bite. 280 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:27,520 Then not very nice. 281 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:31,680 Boiled and then coated in sugar, 282 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:35,680 candied Angelica was a popular item on Christmas shopping bills. 283 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:38,120 It will come in useful to our confectioners 284 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:40,680 when they decorate their Twelfth Cakes. 285 00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:48,040 That's gorgeous. 286 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:51,000 Ta-da! Look at the size of this... Look at that. Oh! 287 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:54,200 VOICEOVER: Confectioners would often order rich fruitcakes from a baker's 288 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:56,360 rather than making their own. 289 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,080 The ideal shape for a Georgian Twelfth Cake was domed, 290 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:05,480 and so our sweet makers are building them up and covering them 291 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,920 with almond paste - an early version of marzipan. 292 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:15,960 What are you doing? Hm? 293 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:17,840 Are you eating it? No. 294 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:19,680 Good. 295 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:21,360 It is delicious, though. 296 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:22,760 Beautiful. 297 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:24,800 That's it. I can't wait to get them decorated up. 298 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:26,640 So now we just need to leave them to dry. Yeah. 299 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:28,920 VOICEOVER: Before the cakes can be decorated, 300 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,840 the almond paste needs to dry out for at least a day. 301 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:36,880 # Silent night 302 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:40,640 # Holy night 303 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,280 # All is calm... # 304 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:45,320 Christmas Day itself was a brief respite 305 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:47,160 for tradesmen like confectioners. 306 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:49,760 Shops would be closed, 307 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,880 and it was customary for workers to have a day of rest and worship. 308 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,680 # Mother and Child 309 00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:03,520 # Holy infant so tender and mild 310 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:05,080 # Sleep... # 311 00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:08,040 It wasn't until 1871 that Boxing Day 312 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:11,400 was made an official public holiday, too. 313 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:13,200 So on the 26th of December, 314 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,640 it's straight back to work for our confectioners. 315 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,840 Paul and Cynthia are making a start on the icing for the Twelfth Cake 316 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:22,800 by mixing egg whites with icing sugar. 317 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,400 I'm glad we're doing royal icing because when I was a kid, when I was 318 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:29,960 much younger, it was always royal icing on the Christmas cake. 319 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,400 Yeah. Really, really hard, you could barely get through it. 320 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:34,240 Yeah. And then everything went to fondant. 321 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:37,320 Yeah. But I love royal icing for Christmas because you can spike it. 322 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:39,840 Yeah. Snowy spikes. And it's so easy to do. 323 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:42,560 Yeah. It is. Then everyone had their way of eating it. 324 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:44,480 Some people didn't want cake and just wanted icing, 325 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:46,640 and some peeled their marzipan off and just had the icing. 326 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:50,120 And then you swap the bits you like. Of course. 327 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:53,640 I bet the Georgians did the same thing. Exactly. 328 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:57,440 In the middle? Yeah, on the... Say when. How much? Keep going. 329 00:17:57,440 --> 00:17:59,080 Loads and loads and loads. 330 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:00,480 Oh, now it's Christmas. 331 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:04,200 It looks beautiful. Well, you're not going to get it glass-smooth. 332 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:08,400 No. So do you want to do, like, a swirl or something? 333 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:11,920 Yeah, I don't mind seeing palette-knife marks on it, no. 334 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:15,440 What do you feel like? What is your creative mind telling you? 335 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:17,760 My creative mind is telling me... 336 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,080 ..that I really want a piping bag. 337 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:25,880 They're not invented yet. Yeah. Use your fingers. No. 338 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:29,240 Ooh. Can you come and do some ceilings at our house? 339 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:30,560 LAUGHTER 340 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:32,600 Artex. Artex, yeah! 341 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:38,240 To appeal to their wealthy customers, 342 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,600 confectioners would mimic the latest decorative fashions of the day 343 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:43,040 on their Twelfth Cakes. 344 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:48,760 And in the late 18th century, Wedgwood-coloured Jasperware 345 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:51,240 with its white reliefs were all the rage. 346 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:55,760 Diana and Andy are hoping to replicate the effect 347 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:57,320 with sugar paste. 348 00:18:57,320 --> 00:18:58,720 Yay! 349 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:02,560 That's more like it. 350 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,160 Wedgwood was like sage green, so we'll see... 351 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:07,920 We'll add the spinach powder. 352 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:10,600 We haven't got any blue, though, have we? We haven't. 353 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,360 Artificial food dyes hadn't yet been invented, 354 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:19,840 so colour had been made from natural sources like spinach and turmeric. 355 00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:24,120 Oh, beautiful. 356 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:28,040 With all the time that went into creating spectacular Twelfth Cakes, 357 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:29,400 they could be very lucrative. 358 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:32,720 Some were sold at one guinea - 359 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:37,640 about a third of a domestic servant's annual income. 360 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:39,880 I could stand here and watch her all day. I know. 361 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:43,680 But even for those at the bottom of the ladder, 362 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,680 there was something to look forward to on December 26th. 363 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,720 Wow. Hey. 364 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:55,440 Look at this hive of industry. This is beautiful. 365 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:57,680 Thank you. It's good, isn't it? 366 00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:01,040 Anyone have any familiarity with this object? 367 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:03,120 A money box? A money box? 368 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:04,840 Looks like a money box, doesn't it? 369 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,400 What this is is a Christmas box. 370 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:09,760 Well, a replica of what a Georgian Christmas box 371 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:11,280 might have looked like. 372 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:19,480 Poorly paid workers, such as apprentices and delivery boys, 373 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:22,640 would appeal to the charity of local tradespeople, 374 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,560 asking for a few pennies as a Christmas tip for their money boxes. 375 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:31,920 They were so central, they were kind of an important tradition that 376 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:34,880 we get the name Boxing Day, which is the day that follows Christmas... 377 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,200 Oh! ..from this very thing. 378 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:39,880 And I thought that was to do with opening boxes and presents 379 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:42,360 and things like that. I think a lot of people think that. 380 00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:43,680 Was that then opened on Boxing...? 381 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:45,480 So the person could have it on Boxing Day? 382 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,600 It was indeed. And would you like to see how that was done? 383 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:52,240 Yeah! OK. Gather round. Uh-oh. OK. 384 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:56,520 Oh, you're not, really? No. 385 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,600 That's quite precious - they've made it. Let's keep it real. 386 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:03,480 Oh, my goodness! 387 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,520 A Christmas box could be very lucrative. 388 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:14,240 An account from 1735 tells of an apprentice who collected 389 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:16,840 £3 in his box - more than many working people 390 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:18,640 could earn in an entire year. 391 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:26,720 There we go. 392 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:28,080 They're still warm. 393 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:29,800 After 20 layers of sugar, 394 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,960 the sugarplums just need a final coat of colour. 395 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:35,480 Cochineal red and saffron yellow. 396 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:40,640 That's fine. I think they look lovely. Right. Fabulous. 397 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,720 Destined for crystal bowls in the shop window, 398 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:46,360 our sweet-makers have reserved 399 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:48,880 enough to decorate their grandest Twelfth Cake. 400 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:50,160 Gosh, that looks great. 401 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:53,000 Almonds have transformed it. 402 00:21:56,120 --> 00:21:58,760 Great. Fantastic. Well, I think they look amazing. 403 00:21:58,760 --> 00:21:59,960 I think that looks amazing. 404 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:03,080 I think they require a confectioners' high five. That one? 405 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:05,840 Well done. Well done, guys. Well done. 406 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:09,320 Lovely jubbly. Right, chuck me those almonds, I'll get them out the way. 407 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:11,320 Packed up ready for t'shop. For t'shop. 408 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:19,680 Long before the Regent Street lights or visiting Santa's grotto 409 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,840 in a department store became a Christmas appointment, 410 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:26,680 going to see the Twelfth Cakes in the confectioner's shop was 411 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,080 a highlight of the Georgian festive season. 412 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:35,280 200 years later, the magic of a Christmas shop window 413 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:36,680 still delights us. 414 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,160 Beautiful. Stunning. That's eye-catching, isn't it? 415 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,160 I mean, it is absolutely authentic, isn't it? Wonderful. 416 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,600 The sort of thing you take the children down to come and see. 417 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,240 Yeah. Just going to have a look at the cake. 418 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,880 Yeah. Great. Very good. Very happy. Yeah, it's great. 419 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,520 Twelfth Cakes were destined for Twelfth Night parties - 420 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:59,440 a night when the social norms of Georgian society turned upside down. 421 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:08,040 The lowliest partygoer could find themselves playing King or Queen 422 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:12,240 for the night, and everyone feasted and drank till the early hours. 423 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,000 Our confectioners are rewarding themselves 424 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,000 for all their hard work with their own celebration. 425 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:32,240 Happy Twelfth Night. 426 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,320 Hello. Happy Twelfth Night. 427 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,440 I don't think that Christmas is Christmas without alcohol, 428 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:39,120 and the Georgians would have agreed. 429 00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:42,480 And especially if you're throwing a party, as you are, on Twelfth Night, 430 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:46,360 you cannot just sit with empty cups in front of you. 431 00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:49,520 I present to you wine chocolate. 432 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:53,280 Ooh! What?! It is an excellent use for leftover port. 433 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:56,800 Oh! Don't mind if I do. 434 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:58,960 Delicious. Smells amazing. Beautiful. 435 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:02,120 Like most of the rich delicacies in their shop window, 436 00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:05,080 this hot chocolate is not for children. 437 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:10,280 It's wine chocolate - port mixed with melted chocolate and sugar. 438 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:12,400 Cheers. Happy Twelfth Night. Happy Twelfth Night. 439 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:14,120 Indeed. 440 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:16,120 Oh, Lord. That is yum. 441 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:19,040 Wow, that is so intense, isn't it? 442 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,120 Boozy, strong, delicious, 443 00:24:22,120 --> 00:24:25,680 and would make a party really go with a bang, wouldn't it? 444 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:27,760 I like the Georgians. 445 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:30,320 I've not seen you look this happy... 446 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,200 LAUGHTER 447 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:33,400 It's great. 448 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:40,120 After the drinking came the party games. 449 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,480 So, this game is a game called Snapdragon. 450 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:51,680 I have just poured slightly heated brandy into this bowl of currants, 451 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:54,400 and the idea is that everybody has to reach into the flame 452 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:56,080 and pluck out a currant. 453 00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:59,400 And the person with the most currants is going to win the game. 454 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:01,880 That's brilliant. Just before I set the brandy on fire, 455 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:03,760 if you do decide to play this at home, 456 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:07,240 now that you are all inspired to be like Georgians this Christmas, 457 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,400 just make sure that you've got some water on stand-by 458 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,160 and maybe a flame-retardant tablecloth? 459 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:12,400 LAUGHTER 460 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:14,720 I'm not saying it's going to be explosive, but...! 461 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:17,440 Like the hot chocolate, 462 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:21,920 this game is also definitely not meant for children. 463 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,360 Oh, one at a time? 464 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:25,680 Take as many as possible. 465 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:30,120 Ooh! LAUGHTER 466 00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:32,560 That is why it's one at a time! 467 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,480 LAUGHTER 468 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:04,200 Our confectioners are entering the Victorian age, 469 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,200 and the way we celebrate Christmas has changed again. 470 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:13,120 Wow. There's a Christmas tree. 471 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:16,600 If you try to recreate a traditional Christmas now, 472 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:18,000 this is what you are after, isn't it? 473 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,080 You know, dried oranges and little biscuits hanging on ribbons. 474 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:22,200 And some candles. 475 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:25,960 I was think that when we consider Christmas today, 476 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:29,320 what we're really envisaging is the Victorian Christmas. 477 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:32,600 The tree decorated up and a fire crackling in the corner, 478 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:34,360 stockings hanging around it, 479 00:26:34,360 --> 00:26:37,400 perhaps some children all ruddy-cheeked and glowing. 480 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:42,920 The cosy domestic focus of Victorian Christmas was inspired 481 00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:45,360 by the Queen herself. 482 00:26:45,360 --> 00:26:47,800 In 1848, the illustrated London News 483 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,920 published a drawing of the young Queen 484 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:55,480 with her husband Prince Albert and their children celebrating around a 485 00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:57,440 decorated Christmas tree - 486 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:01,400 a tradition popular in Albert's home country, Germany. 487 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:05,080 Soon, all over Britain, 488 00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:08,360 families were decorating a tree on Christmas Eve, 489 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:12,280 with children at the very heart of this new Victorian ritual. 490 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:17,200 They didn't invent a lot of the traditions that we see as part of 491 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:20,520 Christmas today, so things like the tree and Father Christmas and carols 492 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:22,640 all existed before the Victorian era. 493 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,760 But what they did do is they took traditions really from across Europe 494 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:28,280 and they sort of tweaked them, 495 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:32,600 made them into what we know today as opposed to the previous incarnation 496 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,680 of them. And one of the most interesting things, therefore, 497 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,800 from your perspective, is that while the Victorians may have invented 498 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:41,280 Christmas, it was Victorian confectioners 499 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,160 that really drove it forward 500 00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:45,160 and who invented many of the traditions 501 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:48,160 that today we couldn't imagine having Christmas without. 502 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:54,680 There was no audience more receptive to the confectioner's innovations 503 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:56,120 than children. 504 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:02,600 During Victoria's reign, the price of sugar dropped by over 50%... 505 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,720 ..which meant festive treats could now be made at pocket-money prices. 506 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:13,040 You are going to be stocking a small market stall for the Christmas fair. 507 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:15,200 Awesome. 508 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:17,520 Lots and lots of children will be coming to your stall 509 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:20,280 and they will be buying something which may well become 510 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:21,960 a family tradition for them. 511 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:26,160 OK. A Victorian Christmas. 512 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:28,040 Victorian Christmas. I'm excited already, 513 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:29,840 but I'm already feeling under pressure. 514 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:31,880 So, cheap jelly goods. 515 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:34,280 That says it all, doesn't it? Doesn't sound great, does it? No. 516 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:37,080 What's the recipe? It says here, this is a cheap line. 517 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:38,360 There's not much body in them, 518 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:40,720 but they sell at a price and give satisfaction. 519 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:43,360 Well... Profit. Absolutely. 520 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:48,240 Our confectioners will be making sweets to appeal to children 521 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:50,000 at eight for a penny. 522 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:58,480 To make any profit, the jellies will have to be mass produced, 523 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:01,240 and so they'll be made in starch trays... 524 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:03,000 We've got to get this really flat. 525 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:06,640 Really flat. Really even. 526 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,560 ..a technique introduced by the Victorians. 527 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:14,040 We should be able to press these in one by one. 528 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:16,960 And lift. 529 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:18,120 They look beautiful. 530 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:24,120 The starch dehydrates the sugar, forming a crust around the jelly. 531 00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:26,800 Great. One set of pigs. 532 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:31,280 Intricate moulds allowed Victorian confectioners to create novel, 533 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:32,840 child-friendly shapes. 534 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:38,480 Christmas favourites included sugar mice and the rather less familiar 535 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:40,360 jelly pigs. 536 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,600 The detail is fantastic. 537 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:45,600 They've got little ears. They do, and a little wiggly tail. 538 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,240 Wow. So you have to deal with them when it's liquid. 539 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:51,280 Andy and Diana are mixing sugar, 540 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:54,560 glucose and gelatine with water to make the cheap jellies. 541 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:58,560 The product might be basic, but to add child appeal, 542 00:29:58,560 --> 00:30:00,760 they've got a few tricks up their sleeve. 543 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:05,480 Dig in. Now we need colour, flavour. We will put the acid in last. 544 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:09,280 They're using a new invention to colour the jelly - 545 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:10,680 artificial dyes. 546 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:12,320 It's coming. A bit more. 547 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:18,360 In 1856, the first edible synthetic dye was discovered. 548 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:23,240 Chemist Sir William Henry Perkin was working on a treatment for malaria 549 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,640 and found a by-product from the experiment 550 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:30,040 could produce a deep purple colour - mauveine. 551 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:32,040 Did it come out of the spoon? Yeah. 552 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,200 Other colours soon followed. 553 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:39,840 Paul and Cynthia are also using dyes to colour their sugar mice. 554 00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:46,640 It's quite nice to work with pre-prepped colours, 555 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:49,000 and also comes on so much more evenly. 556 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,680 I feel like that needs to be darker to attract children. 557 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:53,680 Definitely. It's a very grown-up colour, that. 558 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,040 It is very grown-up. Oops! 559 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:02,080 Sugar mice could be made with a cold fondant of icing sugar 560 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:06,400 and egg white, or a hot fondant made by heating sugar, glucose and water. 561 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:10,080 Both were a popular Christmas treat. 562 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:14,880 I know that they're very English things - sugar mice. 563 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:17,400 Yeah? Yeah. I've never actually tried one. 564 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:19,400 You've never... 565 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:23,000 Sorry. Aw! Your first sugar mouse will be today. 566 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,640 It will be - and it'll be one I made myself. Brilliant. 567 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:28,080 Orange oil. Yeah. 568 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:31,160 Is that the jelly nearly ready, Andy? Yep. Fantastic. 569 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:36,080 Oh, it smells incredible. It smells like childhood orange. 570 00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:44,280 Look at that! Good technique. 571 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:49,040 This is actually very quick. 572 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:53,080 We'll be able to make hundreds and hundreds of jellies superfast. 573 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:55,160 While Paul fills his starch moulds, 574 00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:59,280 Andy is using plaster versions to shape his hot-fondant sugar mice. 575 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,840 The cold fondant versions also use hard moulds, 576 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:09,280 which can be used again and again - in theory. 577 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,200 These mice are starting to squeak. 578 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:20,680 Eek, eek. 579 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:23,200 There you go. 580 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:24,360 Ah, that's brilliant. 581 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:29,360 VOICEOVER: It's taken only two hours to make over a hundred 582 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:32,320 jelly pigs and an infestation of sugar mice. 583 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:38,760 I'll see your jellies and I'll raise you a couple of fondant sugar mice. 584 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:40,080 Oh, lovely! 585 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:43,440 Powdery. Wow! Thank you. 586 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:44,760 The definition's really nice. 587 00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:50,520 Thank you. Can I eat the string? No. You did them green, though. 588 00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:55,240 You've got icing all round your mouth, it's brilliant. 589 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,560 Sugar mice were a vital ingredient in another Christmas custom 590 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:08,160 popularised by Victorians - the Christmas stocking. 591 00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:11,160 For centuries, European children 592 00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:14,840 have received presents from Saint Nicholas in the days running up to 593 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:16,960 his saint's day, the 6th of December. 594 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:20,280 The hanging of stockings to be filled 595 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:23,280 with these gifts was inspired by a traditional tale. 596 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:29,120 According to the story, Saint Nicholas overheard a poor widower 597 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:32,520 lamenting the fact he had no dowry for his daughters. 598 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:34,880 As an act of charity, Saint Nicolas, 599 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:38,440 under cover of darkness, crept into the widower's home 600 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:41,360 and filled his daughter's stockings - that hung just above 601 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:44,960 the fireplace to dry - full of gold coins. 602 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:52,880 The Victorians embraced Saint Nicholas 603 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,520 and his stockings as a Christmas Eve tradition. 604 00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:00,440 But it was an American illustrator, Thomas Nast, 605 00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:05,760 who, in the 1880s, created the Father Christmas we recognise today. 606 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:09,680 Nast was inspired by the famous poem, A Visit From Saint Nicholas. 607 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:14,600 'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house 608 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:18,840 Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse 609 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:21,960 The stockings were hung by the chimney with care 610 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:25,600 In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there 611 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:28,520 The children were nestled all snug in their beds 612 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:32,240 While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads. 613 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:38,400 It was an irresistible image. 614 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:41,760 The child's Christmas stocking stuffed with treats 615 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:43,640 was here to stay. 616 00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:46,720 They do look nice when they're brushed off. They do, yeah. 617 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:51,200 And no stocking would be complete 618 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:54,280 without a handful of the confectioner's wares. 619 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:58,720 We really have got this down to a fine art, haven't we? 620 00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:02,320 It's quick. You can really see how this starts to make sense. 621 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:04,240 At the beginning, I couldn't understand. 622 00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:06,640 I thought, "How can they possibly sell it so cheap?" 623 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,320 But, actually, if you're making it this quickly... 624 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,520 If we had more of these, a full table full, 625 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:15,000 then we'd complete it in one hit. 626 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:18,600 Cheap as they were, 627 00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:22,520 there are still many who could only dream of such sugary delights. 628 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:28,360 Those in the direst need depended on charity, particularly at Christmas. 629 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:31,760 And giving to workhouses and orphanages became 630 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:34,040 a Victorian Christmas tradition in itself. 631 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:41,000 Charitable donations funded Christmas trees, 632 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:43,360 toys, and, above all, sweet treats. 633 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:49,160 One orphanage in Bristol even set up a temporary sweet shop 634 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:52,440 where each child was given a few pennies to spend. 635 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:58,520 Sweets had become a crucial part of Christmas celebrations. 636 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:01,880 But alongside their basic wares, 637 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:05,560 our confectioners will still need to draw the crowds to their Victorian 638 00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:08,000 stall with a spectacular centrepiece. 639 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,080 Hello, hello. How are our sugar pigs going? 640 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:13,440 Ooh, cake. 641 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:16,280 More cakes. Bit plain, isn't it? 642 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:19,040 Well, it is at the moment. But let us bear in mind 643 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:22,000 that you still may have a few wealthier customers 644 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:24,600 whose palates you want to titivate. 645 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,000 One of the really traditional 646 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:31,680 British Christmas dishes was the stuffed boar's head. 647 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,360 Queen Victoria used to have a boar's head on her table, 648 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:36,920 her Christmas sideboard, every single year. 649 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:38,920 Hers was a real boar. 650 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:41,760 But for those looking for a more interesting twist, 651 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:45,280 for those interestingly entrepreneurial Victorians 652 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:49,960 looking for old customs to appropriate and make into new ones, 653 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:53,600 Queen Victoria's chef proposed a slightly different idea. 654 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:56,440 Your face is just getting better and better and better. 655 00:36:56,440 --> 00:36:58,640 Is that going to become a boar's head? 656 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:00,120 Oh, yes. Oh, my God! 657 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:02,040 LAUGHTER 658 00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:08,200 The recipe for a boar's head cake - 659 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:10,680 an exact imitation of a real boar's head - 660 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:16,040 comes from a book by Queen Victoria's chef, Francatelli. 661 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:19,680 In medieval Britain, only the nobility were allowed to hunt 662 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:22,960 wild boar, and the Christmas boar's head was presented 663 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:24,240 with much ceremony. 664 00:37:25,240 --> 00:37:28,040 Now it was yet another ancient Christmas tradition 665 00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:30,240 that could be given a sweet spin. 666 00:37:32,720 --> 00:37:36,640 Our sweet-makers will have to use all their talents to recreate 667 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:37,960 this Christmas spectacle. 668 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:42,680 What are you starting with, Andy? 669 00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:45,760 I'm going to make you some jelly first. For the base? Uh-huh. 670 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:51,560 While Cynthia is using her sculpting skills to carve the cake... 671 00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:55,160 ..Diana's chef training is put to use 672 00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:58,160 to cook up a chocolate glaze which will cover the head. 673 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:00,200 Paul, do you want to come and look at this glaze? 674 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:03,320 As long as it reaches coating consistency... 675 00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:04,680 Pop a little bit on there. 676 00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:06,760 ..we're going to be all right, aren't we? 677 00:38:06,760 --> 00:38:10,320 It's a beautiful colour. That's it. It's a good consistency, look. 678 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:11,360 Even hot. 679 00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:16,440 All the trimmings have to be made from scratch. 680 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:20,160 Look at that! Gorgeous orange jelly, it smells amazing. 681 00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:22,960 Shall we have green or blue eyes, everyone? 682 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:25,120 One of each. One of each. One of each? 683 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:29,480 Shall we try them? 684 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,760 That is too scary. That's too scary, isn't it? 685 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:36,760 I thought it was Christmas, not Halloween. 686 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:39,720 They're including some Christmas staples... 687 00:38:39,720 --> 00:38:41,920 I'm just doing some candied orange peels 688 00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:43,720 which we can use for decoration. 689 00:38:45,240 --> 00:38:47,200 ..and marzipan fruits. 690 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:54,400 That's it. Perfect. That's it. Perfect. Beautiful. 691 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:56,400 Look at the colour! 692 00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:59,440 Oh, my goodness. It's beautiful. 693 00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:02,560 Any bubbles popped? I have to remind myself this is not a real boar. 694 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:06,000 It looks like a real, glazed, savoury boar's head now. 695 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:08,960 That's a good compromise. Yeah. 696 00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:13,760 Quite a lot of piping work on them, isn't there? 697 00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:15,240 Sure is. 698 00:39:15,240 --> 00:39:18,760 VOICEOVER: Much to Cynthia's relief, by the middle of the 19th century, 699 00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:21,120 piping bags had been introduced to Britain. 700 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:24,240 I don't like the font. Ooh! 701 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:31,640 The finishing touch is to place the hatelet skewers. 702 00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:34,880 These ornate silver spears were traditionally used in meat, 703 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:38,160 and held savoury delicacies like truffles and cockscombs. 704 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:42,040 Now they hold sweet equivalents. 705 00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:43,840 That looks fantastic, doesn't it? 706 00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:48,160 That looks brilliant. Ooh, this is the special moment, isn't it? 707 00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:49,720 It is a moment, isn't it? 708 00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:51,360 I'm a bit emotional about this. 709 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:58,040 A mere four hours from boring sponge to spectacular boar. 710 00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:01,080 Look at that! 711 00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:03,960 That's incredible. 712 00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:07,640 That's the most bonkers thing we've ever made. 713 00:40:07,640 --> 00:40:11,280 I never question what we can do but I didn't expect it to be that good. 714 00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:24,640 Oh, my God! 715 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:26,600 Hi. He's handsome, isn't he? 716 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:29,520 It's unbelievable. 717 00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:30,840 It's so realistic. 718 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:33,720 Is that what you expected? No, no, not at all. 719 00:40:33,720 --> 00:40:36,560 It is so much better than anything I could have thought. 720 00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:39,440 Aw! You're just... We're pleased you love it. 721 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:41,120 We love it. 722 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:43,440 Can you imagine having this on your Christmas table? 723 00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:45,920 ALL TALK AT ONCE 724 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:47,320 I mean... I keep looking at it 725 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:49,360 and seeing more and more details, as well. 726 00:40:49,360 --> 00:40:52,360 The candied orange peel and the little mushrooms 727 00:40:52,360 --> 00:40:54,960 and the holly in the ears. These are nougatine. 728 00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:58,880 Oh, my goodness! This is just so perfect. 729 00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:05,200 I want to give you all a huge hug. Group hug! 730 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:07,920 Happy Christmas. Happy Christmas to you. 731 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:11,440 # Wassail, wassail, all over the town 732 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:15,400 # Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown 733 00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:19,040 # Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree 734 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:24,480 # With a wassailing bowl we'll drink to thee... # 735 00:41:25,720 --> 00:41:27,520 At the Christmas fair, 736 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:30,800 the boar's head has pride of place on the confectioners' stall. 737 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:36,000 Their baskets are piled high with brightly coloured sweets, 738 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:37,840 aimed at Christmas's new consumers... 739 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:41,040 ..the children. 740 00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:42,760 Hello. How are you? 741 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:46,120 I have pink sugar mice, I have white sugar mice. 742 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,320 Victorian childhood favourites 743 00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:52,920 have become enduring Christmas traditions. 744 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,200 And sugar mice... 745 00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:58,720 Eight for a penny. There we go. 746 00:41:58,720 --> 00:42:01,040 Thank you very much. And there you are. 747 00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:03,560 Enjoy. Happy Christmas. Merry Christmas. 748 00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:08,640 Looking at the faces of the children looking into the baskets, 749 00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:12,200 you can tell they were shaking with excitement. 750 00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:14,840 They don't know which one to take. It's brilliant. Perfect. 751 00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:18,840 Confectionery makes Christmas. It does. Sweet memories. 752 00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:23,040 The magical child-centred Victorian Christmas, 753 00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:25,320 which confectioners helped to dream up 754 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:27,280 with its tree hung with sweets and 755 00:42:27,280 --> 00:42:30,640 stockings stuffed with treats is still with us today. 756 00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:33,920 Everything a penny. 757 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:51,080 Our sweet-makers are entering a new era. 758 00:42:51,080 --> 00:42:53,120 And they're going to have to work harder than ever. 759 00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:57,280 Confectionery is now big business 760 00:42:57,280 --> 00:43:00,160 and there's fierce competition for the Christmas market. 761 00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:08,440 Welcome to the 1920s Christmas. 762 00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:12,080 In your workshop now you have things such as electric light, 763 00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:13,320 you've got lots of metalware. 764 00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:16,400 You've got new and exciting moulds and ingredients. 765 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:18,680 In terms of confectionery and sweet-making, 766 00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:23,480 the big story is that now it's a really huge industry, 767 00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:27,400 so companies such as Rowntree's and Mackintosh's, Cadbury's and Terry's. 768 00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:29,320 And one of the really important things 769 00:43:29,320 --> 00:43:33,040 they're doing in terms of Christmas confectionery is they're producing 770 00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:35,400 more and more chocolate. 771 00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:39,560 For example, we have chocolate figurines. 772 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:40,880 CHEERING 773 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:42,800 Obviously, these are somewhat modern, 774 00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:44,400 but this is where they come from. 775 00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:47,240 We love a bit of foiling. One of the things I particularly wish you to be 776 00:43:47,240 --> 00:43:49,680 inspired by is a very innovative product 777 00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:51,520 which is being made by Terry's. 778 00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:54,280 Terry's is very well-known for the chocolate orange, 779 00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:57,240 but that's a little later - that's 1930s. 780 00:43:57,240 --> 00:44:00,000 Because before the chocolate orange, there was... 781 00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:02,560 ..the chocolate apple. 782 00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:05,840 No! No way! 783 00:44:05,840 --> 00:44:08,120 Was it apple flavoured? 784 00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:09,840 No, it was just plain chocolate. 785 00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:12,640 Again, another reason the orange probably took off was because orange 786 00:44:12,640 --> 00:44:15,520 flavouring is a lot easier to replicate than apple flavouring. 787 00:44:15,520 --> 00:44:20,120 Also, orange has always had that association with sort of Christmas. 788 00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:21,160 Yes, indeed. 789 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:27,920 Launched in 1926, 790 00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:31,920 the chocolate apple was just one of a frenzy of new products trying to 791 00:44:31,920 --> 00:44:34,280 capture the lucrative Christmas market. 792 00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:41,800 Big firms were pouring money into 793 00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:46,280 all sorts of new, shaped, flavoured and filled chocolates. 794 00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:49,360 By the end of the period, Cadbury's alone 795 00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:52,000 had 237 products on its price list. 796 00:44:56,880 --> 00:44:59,640 Right, we'd better get cracking, then. Right, pans of water? 797 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:02,040 Yeah, you guys, bain maries, chopping chocolate. 798 00:45:02,040 --> 00:45:03,320 Really small, please. 799 00:45:03,320 --> 00:45:06,760 Small as you can. As small as we can. 800 00:45:06,760 --> 00:45:07,800 All right. 801 00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:11,240 Our sweet-makers are making their own versions 802 00:45:11,240 --> 00:45:14,440 of some of the most popular Christmas chocolates of the day 803 00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:16,000 to sell in their 1920s shop. 804 00:45:18,720 --> 00:45:20,360 Small confectioners would buy 805 00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:22,640 chocolate by the slab from wholesalers 806 00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:24,880 and melt it down to create their own products. 807 00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:28,080 OK, they're quite noisy now, aren't they? 808 00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:34,160 Can we have... 809 00:45:36,120 --> 00:45:37,800 Can we have less... 810 00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:40,280 You have bits of paper in your chocolate fondant. 811 00:45:40,280 --> 00:45:41,320 Oh! Right, OK. 812 00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:45,440 Professional chocolatiers Diana and Paul are in their element. 813 00:45:46,440 --> 00:45:51,760 This needs to melt for quite a while to get it really, really smooth. 814 00:45:51,760 --> 00:45:54,640 Don't let the water boil, though, Andy, please. 815 00:45:54,640 --> 00:45:56,920 Don't let it boil. Don't let it boil. Don't let it boil - 816 00:45:56,920 --> 00:46:00,120 it will bake the chocolate, it'll go grainy and solid. OK. 817 00:46:03,800 --> 00:46:05,480 What are you making? 818 00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:09,840 So, we've got sugar, water, a bit of glucose into a syrup. 819 00:46:09,840 --> 00:46:12,560 Pour it on to egg whites while whisking. 820 00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:15,720 Don't look at me like that. It's only two of your eggs. 821 00:46:15,720 --> 00:46:18,720 And it will volumise and create a cooked Italian meringue. 822 00:46:18,720 --> 00:46:20,240 We'll pipe that into each chocolate. 823 00:46:20,240 --> 00:46:22,320 Like Walnut Whip. Exactly like Walnut Whip. 824 00:46:26,720 --> 00:46:29,160 The Walnut Whip, or whipped cream walnut 825 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:33,280 was first developed by a firm called Duncan's in 1910. 826 00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:37,760 In 1927, Rowntree's bought the firm and added an extra walnut. 827 00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:41,200 Using Paul's mixture, 828 00:46:41,200 --> 00:46:45,040 Diana and Andy are making a handmade version of this Christmas classic. 829 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,520 You never eat a Walnut Whip the rest of the year but at Christmas time, 830 00:46:51,520 --> 00:46:53,200 it's like, "Where's me Walnut Whips?" 831 00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:54,640 Did you ever get mini selection packs 832 00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:55,920 with all the different stuff in? 833 00:46:55,920 --> 00:46:57,720 Yeah. My nanna used to get those for me. 834 00:46:57,720 --> 00:46:59,840 My nanna who lived up in Grimsby. 835 00:46:59,840 --> 00:47:01,600 Which bit did you save until the last? 836 00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:04,520 Which was your favourite? It used to be the Mars Bar one. 837 00:47:04,520 --> 00:47:06,800 Oh, no. I used to have a Mars. The finger of fudge. 838 00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:09,840 In fact, I used to go into my sister's selection pack and pinch 839 00:47:09,840 --> 00:47:12,440 her finger of fudge and put something in it I didn't like. Oh! 840 00:47:16,840 --> 00:47:19,120 In the early '20s, Rowntree's launched 841 00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:21,400 their first Christmas selection box, 842 00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:23,040 containing all sorts of treats 843 00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:25,480 including sugared almonds and Walnut Whips. 844 00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:35,120 Such was their popularity that from 1929 to 1935, 845 00:47:35,120 --> 00:47:39,160 Rowntree's manufacture of fancy boxes increased twentyfold. 846 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:44,520 Found some walnuts. 847 00:47:45,640 --> 00:47:47,160 CRACKING 848 00:47:47,160 --> 00:47:51,360 I say. Did you just crack that with your hands? 849 00:47:51,360 --> 00:47:54,680 CRACKING Whoa! Wow! 850 00:47:54,680 --> 00:47:56,720 The Wigan nut-squasher. 851 00:47:56,720 --> 00:47:58,040 Sounds like a wrestler! 852 00:47:59,840 --> 00:48:03,400 Novelty was key to capturing the valuable festive market, 853 00:48:03,400 --> 00:48:06,360 and confectioners drew on old Christmas traditions 854 00:48:06,360 --> 00:48:08,120 to create new ones. 855 00:48:10,840 --> 00:48:13,920 Where once a child might receive a coin in their stocking, 856 00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:15,760 now they could have chocolate money. 857 00:48:17,840 --> 00:48:22,720 Even ancient pagan customs were fair game for a sweet makeover. 858 00:48:22,720 --> 00:48:24,680 Yuletide logs. 859 00:48:25,840 --> 00:48:28,040 Look at this! I know. 860 00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:29,720 It's clever. It's a tree stump. 861 00:48:29,720 --> 00:48:31,600 Stump, yeah. 862 00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:36,440 First sold in fashionable Parisian patisseries in the 19th century, 863 00:48:36,440 --> 00:48:40,280 by the 1920s the bouche de Noel was Anglicised, 864 00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:43,480 becoming the Yule log that we still know today. 865 00:48:43,480 --> 00:48:44,560 They're really festive. 866 00:48:44,560 --> 00:48:46,880 Thank you. It's made everything feel more Christmassy. 867 00:48:48,720 --> 00:48:51,360 Ingredients associated with Christmas 868 00:48:51,360 --> 00:48:53,640 were also given a new lease of life. 869 00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:55,320 Pop an almond in each. 870 00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:58,400 An almond? Pop an almond in, to give it crunch and flavour. 871 00:48:58,400 --> 00:48:59,760 Ah, almond and pineapple. 872 00:48:59,760 --> 00:49:03,400 Where 200 years ago, nuts turned into sugar plums, 873 00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:05,480 now they were encased in chocolate. 874 00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:09,440 This is where it gets really quick, once you've made the shell, 875 00:49:09,440 --> 00:49:11,320 so your productivity goes up. 876 00:49:13,240 --> 00:49:14,880 By the end of the 1920s, 877 00:49:14,880 --> 00:49:17,840 confectioners had figured out how to flavour chocolate itself... 878 00:49:18,960 --> 00:49:21,040 ..so the traditional Christmas orange 879 00:49:21,040 --> 00:49:24,880 could now be transformed into a sweet treat. 880 00:49:24,880 --> 00:49:28,240 Launched in 1932, and still popular today, 881 00:49:28,240 --> 00:49:30,760 it's said that at the height of their popularity 882 00:49:30,760 --> 00:49:34,840 one in ten Christmas stockings had a Terry's Chocolate Orange in it. 883 00:49:36,040 --> 00:49:39,200 Our sweet-makers are attempting an exotic alternative - 884 00:49:39,200 --> 00:49:40,480 the chocolate pineapple. 885 00:49:40,480 --> 00:49:42,520 Because, look, it's got... It's got gaps in it. 886 00:49:42,520 --> 00:49:43,720 It does, but that's fine. 887 00:49:43,720 --> 00:49:46,360 The chocolate is going to be too thick to go through it. Ah, I see. 888 00:49:46,360 --> 00:49:48,720 Shall we flavour our chocolate first? Yes, please. 889 00:49:48,720 --> 00:49:52,560 Stand that up. So pineapple, little bit of pineapple oil. 890 00:49:52,560 --> 00:49:54,200 How much? Say when. 891 00:49:54,200 --> 00:49:56,160 When. No, a bit more. 892 00:49:56,160 --> 00:49:59,320 There we go. Any flavour has to be oil-based. 893 00:49:59,320 --> 00:50:00,680 Yes. 894 00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:04,920 OK. So it takes a lot of chocolate. 895 00:50:04,920 --> 00:50:06,360 Mm-hm. 896 00:50:07,560 --> 00:50:08,600 Right to the top. 897 00:50:09,640 --> 00:50:11,560 Which is the bottom. 898 00:50:11,560 --> 00:50:13,560 So, now, we're going to tip it up completely, 899 00:50:13,560 --> 00:50:15,680 tip all the excess chocolate out. 900 00:50:15,680 --> 00:50:18,720 And give it a little shake as you go. OK. 901 00:50:22,240 --> 00:50:26,720 In the 1920s, chocolate production increased at an astonishing rate. 902 00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:29,480 Chuck them in upside down. 903 00:50:29,480 --> 00:50:34,280 Take your fork. Push on the leading edge and then tap it to the surface. 904 00:50:36,840 --> 00:50:39,560 Cadbury's alone tripled their chocolate sales 905 00:50:39,560 --> 00:50:42,400 from the early 1920s to the mid 1930s. 906 00:50:48,200 --> 00:50:51,240 And at Christmas, all the big confectionery firms 907 00:50:51,240 --> 00:50:54,400 competed to turn out as many attention-grabbing products 908 00:50:54,400 --> 00:50:55,640 as possible. 909 00:50:59,320 --> 00:51:02,280 Oh! Look! How cool is that? 910 00:51:02,280 --> 00:51:05,240 Got a little raspberry, strawberries. 911 00:51:05,240 --> 00:51:06,680 It's like Christmas! 912 00:51:06,680 --> 00:51:10,320 I know, so clever! How beautiful is that? They look great. 913 00:51:10,320 --> 00:51:12,080 They look fantastic. 914 00:51:12,080 --> 00:51:14,560 Right, pineapple time. Drum roll. 915 00:51:16,360 --> 00:51:18,000 OK, let's see if we can... 916 00:51:21,360 --> 00:51:24,840 ..prise off the first two. Ready? 917 00:51:24,840 --> 00:51:27,240 Ooh. Ooh! Ooh! 918 00:51:27,240 --> 00:51:29,240 Give it a tap. Ooh, that was good. 919 00:51:29,240 --> 00:51:30,280 Ooh! Ah. 920 00:51:32,080 --> 00:51:33,360 Got... 921 00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:35,040 Ohh! 922 00:51:35,040 --> 00:51:36,200 Ah. Oh. No! 923 00:51:36,200 --> 00:51:40,040 That's gone a bit... Do you know what? We can repair everything. 924 00:51:41,640 --> 00:51:43,640 Ooh, by 'eck! 925 00:51:43,640 --> 00:51:46,160 I've never known a mould to be this... 926 00:51:46,160 --> 00:51:47,200 ..this bonded together. 927 00:51:48,520 --> 00:51:50,760 Well... Ohh! 928 00:51:50,760 --> 00:51:53,560 That's why. It's not going to be the new chocolate orange, then, is it? 929 00:51:53,560 --> 00:51:55,920 It's not going to be the new chocolate orange, unfortunately. 930 00:51:55,920 --> 00:51:58,920 It just needs a bit more product development. 931 00:51:58,920 --> 00:52:02,840 Oh! Can you please peel off a nice big bit of foil, Cynthia? 932 00:52:02,840 --> 00:52:04,680 Yes, that, that we can do. 933 00:52:04,680 --> 00:52:06,440 What a shame. 934 00:52:06,440 --> 00:52:07,800 We'll have a green top, look. 935 00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:10,480 Beautiful, isn't it? Look. It is. 936 00:52:10,480 --> 00:52:12,160 Andy. 937 00:52:12,160 --> 00:52:14,120 I still think it looks like a hand grenade. 938 00:52:14,120 --> 00:52:17,120 It's a triumph of packaging over product. 939 00:52:17,120 --> 00:52:19,280 What do you think Christmas Santas are?! 940 00:52:19,280 --> 00:52:21,840 LAUGHTER 941 00:52:21,840 --> 00:52:25,640 In a crowded marketplace, to catch the eye of the Christmas shopper, 942 00:52:25,640 --> 00:52:27,720 a product had to really stand out. 943 00:52:29,600 --> 00:52:32,440 Even beautifully shaped chocolates were still brown, 944 00:52:32,440 --> 00:52:33,960 so they needed some sparkle. 945 00:52:35,960 --> 00:52:39,360 Wrapped in shiny foil and packaged in festive boxes, 946 00:52:39,360 --> 00:52:41,640 they were transformed into Christmas magic. 947 00:52:46,240 --> 00:52:50,240 And in 1936, Macintosh launched a new chocolate assortment 948 00:52:50,240 --> 00:52:53,880 which did all of this with absolute brilliance. 949 00:52:58,240 --> 00:53:00,200 Lovely. 950 00:53:00,200 --> 00:53:01,640 Hello. Hello. 951 00:53:01,640 --> 00:53:03,640 So, even though you're hard at work 952 00:53:03,640 --> 00:53:05,960 and this looks absolutely delightful, 953 00:53:05,960 --> 00:53:09,880 and incredibly festive, you have some stiff competition. 954 00:53:09,880 --> 00:53:12,480 Oh. You might recognise... 955 00:53:12,480 --> 00:53:15,720 Macintosh's, it was Macintosh's. It was, yeah. 956 00:53:15,720 --> 00:53:20,280 And how big is that tin? I know. That's a lot of chocolates. 957 00:53:20,280 --> 00:53:24,720 A lot of effort has gone into the tin, has gone into the chocolates, 958 00:53:24,720 --> 00:53:25,920 so this is really the age... 959 00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:29,080 Do you know what I miss? 960 00:53:29,080 --> 00:53:31,600 This. I know. It's the lining paper. 961 00:53:31,600 --> 00:53:32,840 And doing this as kids. 962 00:53:34,160 --> 00:53:37,000 It was just the fun, like a ritual. 963 00:53:37,000 --> 00:53:39,200 Would you like one? Oh, my favourite. 964 00:53:39,200 --> 00:53:40,520 The green triangle. 965 00:53:43,120 --> 00:53:44,560 This is eating my childhood memories. 966 00:53:44,560 --> 00:53:47,720 This is the original Quality Street assortment, 967 00:53:47,720 --> 00:53:50,960 so lots of them are the same but just these early drawings 968 00:53:50,960 --> 00:53:55,240 I think are...so lovely. Names, Harrogate toffee. 969 00:53:55,240 --> 00:53:58,120 I know. Almond toffee, vanilla toffee. 970 00:53:58,120 --> 00:54:01,480 But there's still the ones we know today - toffee penny, toffee finger. 971 00:54:01,480 --> 00:54:05,200 Now, I did wonder, because I always said that the purple one 972 00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:07,640 that has the hazelnut in used to be Brazil nut, 973 00:54:07,640 --> 00:54:10,400 because it was in a Brazil nut shape, the chocolate. 974 00:54:10,400 --> 00:54:11,680 And it does say there... 975 00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:14,480 ..chocolate creme toffee Brazils. 976 00:54:14,480 --> 00:54:16,760 Brazils. So that has changed. 977 00:54:16,760 --> 00:54:22,560 Yes. So Lord Harold Macintosh had his eight-point plan. 978 00:54:22,560 --> 00:54:26,160 Want to have a little look? So, plan for Quality Street, 979 00:54:26,160 --> 00:54:28,520 shape and design of the tin, number one. 980 00:54:28,520 --> 00:54:30,520 Now, that's really telling, isn't it? 981 00:54:30,520 --> 00:54:32,360 Because normally we'd say product first 982 00:54:32,360 --> 00:54:33,840 and then think about how you're 983 00:54:33,840 --> 00:54:36,280 going to package it, but this was all about the packaging. 984 00:54:36,280 --> 00:54:38,000 All those colours and the glistening 985 00:54:38,000 --> 00:54:41,040 and the light bouncing off them and the rustle. The sound. 986 00:54:41,040 --> 00:54:43,760 The noise. It really does say Christmas. 987 00:54:45,320 --> 00:54:47,600 In a stroke of marketing genius, 988 00:54:47,600 --> 00:54:51,560 Macintosh packaged Quality Street with a nostalgic Victorian image... 989 00:54:54,520 --> 00:54:57,240 ..selling customers the idea of a happy Christmas 990 00:54:57,240 --> 00:54:58,960 in a tin of chocolates. 991 00:55:06,160 --> 00:55:08,840 Our sweet-makers have taken their chocolate pineapple, 992 00:55:08,840 --> 00:55:12,160 Walnut Whips and Yule logs to be displayed in their sweet shop. 993 00:55:14,280 --> 00:55:17,360 I'm going to pop the pineapple right in the middle there. 994 00:55:19,080 --> 00:55:22,960 With mass production and clever marketing, confectioners had managed 995 00:55:22,960 --> 00:55:26,680 to inextricably link sweets and chocolates to the festive season. 996 00:55:27,760 --> 00:55:31,480 Beautiful. How's it looking? 997 00:55:31,480 --> 00:55:32,840 Looks fantastic. 998 00:55:32,840 --> 00:55:34,360 Are you proud of your handiwork? 999 00:55:34,360 --> 00:55:36,120 We are! 1000 00:55:36,120 --> 00:55:39,880 Very impressive. So I must say, you guys are looking fantastic, 1001 00:55:39,880 --> 00:55:42,360 given that you've been working for over 200 years. 1002 00:55:42,360 --> 00:55:44,960 Have you enjoyed it? Loved it! Absolutely! 1003 00:55:44,960 --> 00:55:47,480 Is there anything you'd like to bring back that from now on you're 1004 00:55:47,480 --> 00:55:49,880 going to make part of your own Christmas traditions at home? 1005 00:55:49,880 --> 00:55:51,720 Snapdragons. Snapdragons. 1006 00:55:51,720 --> 00:55:53,440 Best game ever! 1007 00:55:53,440 --> 00:55:55,760 Twelfth Cakes. I loved the Twelfth Cakes, yes. 1008 00:55:55,760 --> 00:55:57,200 Twelfth Cakes, yeah, definitely. 1009 00:55:57,200 --> 00:56:00,280 Twelfth Cake. And the month's holiday. 1010 00:56:00,280 --> 00:56:02,560 LAUGHTER 1011 00:56:19,600 --> 00:56:24,520 In 1938, Mass Observation - a social survey of everyday life in Britain - 1012 00:56:24,520 --> 00:56:26,320 recorded that on Christmas Eve 1013 00:56:26,320 --> 00:56:28,960 some sweet shops stayed open until midnight 1014 00:56:28,960 --> 00:56:32,360 so their customers could shop until the very last minute. 1015 00:56:35,160 --> 00:56:37,080 Yes, thank you very much. 1016 00:56:38,080 --> 00:56:39,160 Anything else for you? 1017 00:56:40,320 --> 00:56:43,920 I like the way that Christmas has changed because in Georgian times 1018 00:56:43,920 --> 00:56:45,840 it was very much aimed at adults 1019 00:56:45,840 --> 00:56:48,480 and it's become much more child-friendly. 1020 00:56:48,480 --> 00:56:51,400 Now, you know, I suppose it's a time for everyone. 1021 00:56:51,400 --> 00:56:52,600 It's lovely. 1022 00:56:52,600 --> 00:56:54,480 From the spectacle of the shop window, 1023 00:56:54,480 --> 00:56:58,760 to treats for stockings, to today's bestsellers - for two centuries, 1024 00:56:58,760 --> 00:57:02,120 confectioners have been shaping the way we celebrate Christmas. 1025 00:57:02,120 --> 00:57:04,760 Have a lovely Christmas, thank you very much. All the best! 1026 00:57:04,760 --> 00:57:07,960 I've been super surprised about how confectioners have 1027 00:57:07,960 --> 00:57:10,840 moulded traditions, created traditions. 1028 00:57:10,840 --> 00:57:13,480 I would not be doing my job today without that, 1029 00:57:13,480 --> 00:57:15,720 and I wouldn't be generating other 1030 00:57:15,720 --> 00:57:18,200 people's traditions by making my take 1031 00:57:18,200 --> 00:57:19,920 on festive chocolates. 1032 00:57:19,920 --> 00:57:22,560 And that one's... That's a penny, please, 1033 00:57:22,560 --> 00:57:25,320 for the Yule log. Thank you very much. 1034 00:57:28,360 --> 00:57:31,360 To this day, it's the arrival of festive sweet treats 1035 00:57:31,360 --> 00:57:34,600 in the shops that lets us know that Christmas is coming. 1036 00:57:37,520 --> 00:57:41,040 How influential they were in shaping the things that we still do now, 1037 00:57:41,040 --> 00:57:43,480 honing their craft through the ages. 1038 00:57:43,480 --> 00:57:47,120 I feel really privileged, you know, to not only do what I do now, 1039 00:57:47,120 --> 00:57:50,400 but also to have discovered this. 1040 00:57:50,400 --> 00:57:51,760 Beautiful. That is 10p, 1041 00:57:51,760 --> 00:57:54,640 it's our most expensive item, but it is a one-off. 1042 00:57:54,640 --> 00:57:57,320 It doesn't surprise me that confectioners of the past shaped 1043 00:57:57,320 --> 00:57:59,360 Christmas, because I think that's what we do. 1044 00:57:59,360 --> 00:58:01,080 We create a little bit of 1045 00:58:01,080 --> 00:58:05,920 sweet magic and we make it accessible to everybody. 1046 00:58:05,920 --> 00:58:09,640 Happy Christmas! Happy Christmas. Careful in that snow. 1047 00:58:10,960 --> 00:58:12,160 Thank you. Bye! 1048 00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:17,520 CHEERING 1049 00:58:17,520 --> 00:58:20,200 Christmas is a time of celebrations. 1050 00:58:22,280 --> 00:58:24,000 ALL: Merry Christmas! 1051 00:58:24,000 --> 00:58:27,080 And as we tuck into our festive sweet treats, 1052 00:58:27,080 --> 00:58:32,800 let's raise a glass to confectioners everywhere, past and present.