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Scotland's sweets

Scotland is renown both for its sweet making and sweet eating! Its sweet making industry took off in the 1700s when Scotland more than any other nation began using the mass imports of sugar that began arriving into Europe to create confectionery. All sorts of wierd and wonderful rocks, toffees and sugar boilings emerged and the tradition of making these fabulous tasting sugar treats has continued.

Greenock was initially the hub of Scotland's sweet industry, this being where the sugar imports arrived into Scotland. The scale of activities here resulted in Greenock being referred to as the "sugarpolis" but the taste for sweets soon spread out to Glasgow and Edinburgh and then to the Borders towns.

Almost from the start, sweet-making was as much a female as a male occupation, and the term 'sweetie-wives' (which today means female gossips) was coined for the women who stood on the street selling their wares.

Sadly, for all this rich history, recent decades have seen Scotland's traditional sweet hit hard by increased manufacturing costs, increased regulation, and increased competition. But all is not lost. It seems that younger generations of Scots are suddenly beginning to rediscover the quality and quirkiness of their traditional sweets. As a result, the industry is beginning to enjoy something of a renaissance.

A key force behind the resurgence in popularity of these sweets is sweet company Ma Cameron's. [1] With its vibrant, contemporary brand look, it is tearing down the old-fashioned image that was previously attached to Scotland's yesteryear sweets and giving it the 21st century appeal that is vital for ensuring a strong future.