Kendal Mint Cake facts for kids
A packet of Romney's Kendal mint cake
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| Type | Confectionery, Energy bar |
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| Place of origin | England |
| Region or state | Cumbria |
| Created by | Joseph Wiper |
| Main ingredients | Sugar, glucose, peppermint |
Kendal Mint Cake is a sweet treat made mostly from sugar and flavored with peppermint. It comes from a town called Kendal in Cumbria, England. This special mint cake is very popular with climbers and mountaineers, especially those from the UK. They use it as a quick energy boost during their adventures.
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The Story of Kendal Mint Cake
Kendal Mint Cake is based on an old recipe. It was known by different names like mint cake or peppermint tablet. Today, three companies still make Kendal Mint Cake. The story goes that it was invented by accident!
How it Started
In 1869, a man named Joseph Wiper was making glacier mint sweets. He supposedly left the sweet mixture boiling overnight. The next morning, he found it had turned cloudy and solid. This new discovery was the "mint cake."
Joseph Wiper started making and selling this new mint cake. Other sweet makers soon followed. In 1912, Joseph Wiper moved to Canada. His great-nephew, Robert Wiper, took over the family business. Robert started promoting Kendal Mint Cake as an energy snack for famous trips. It was even used on Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. This helped the mint cake become famous around the world among mountaineers and hikers.
Quiggin's Mint Cake
Quiggin's Kendal Mint Cake is the oldest company still making this sweet. The Quiggin family has been making sweets since 1840 in the Isle of Man. One of the four sons, Daniel Quiggin, moved to Kendal in 1880. That's when the mint cake company began.
Quiggin's factory has been featured on TV shows. In the BBC show Great British Menu, a chef used Quiggin's Kendal Mint Cake in a dessert. Also, in Great British Railway Journeys, presenter Michael Portillo visited the factory.
Romney's Mint Cake
Romney's company started in 1918. They used an old recipe to make their mint cake. This mint cake was sold in Kendal and sent by train to other parts of the north-west of England. In 1987, Romney's bought Wiper's Mint Cake company.
In 2016, Romney's made special "Kendall Mint Cakes" to celebrate Kendall Jenner's 21st birthday. They gave away 200 of these special cakes on social media.
Romney's has also appeared on TV. They were featured on the BBC programme Inside the Factory and Ricky & Ralf's Very Northern Road Trip in 2020. That same year, Romney's was included on the board of the Monopoly - The Lakes Edition game.
Wilson's Mint Cake
Wilson's Mint Cake was started in 1913 by James Wilson. He bought a factory in Kendal. James used to make toffee, but he decided to focus on mint cake instead. In 1966, the company moved to a new location in Kendal. Wilson's was also allowed to sell sweets with Beatrix Potter characters on them.
By 2007, James's grandson, Andrew Wilson, was running the factory. At that time, chocolate sweets made up most of their sales, not mint cake. In 2013, the company moved from Kendal to Holme. In 2016, it was reported that the company had closed. However, the company actually changed owners. It is now run by W McClures Ltd, a family business. You can still buy Wilson's Kendal Mint Cake from their website.
How Kendal Mint Cake is Made
Kendal Mint Cake is made from sugar, glucose, water, and peppermint oil. The exact recipe and method are a secret. But we know it's made like this:
- The sugar, glucose, water, and peppermint oil are boiled together in a large copper pot.
- The mixture is stirred all the time. If it wasn't stirred, the finished product would be clear.
- Then, the mixture is poured into special molds. It is left to cool and become solid. After it sets, it is broken into individual bars.
You can find different kinds of mint cake today. The most popular types are:
- Mint cake made with white sugar.
- Mint cake made with brown sugar.
- Mint cake covered in chocolate.
Famous Adventures with Mint Cake
Kendal Mint Cake has been used on many famous expeditions around the world. It gives explorers a quick burst of energy:
- Wiper's Kendal Mint Cake was taken on Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition from 1914 to 1917.
- Sir Edmund Hillary and his team carried Romney's Kendal Mint Cake when they made the first successful climb of Mount Everest in 1953. A member of the team wrote that it was "easily the most popular item on our high altitude ration."
- Chris Bonington also used Quiggin's Kendal Mint Cake on his 1975 Mount Everest expedition.
- Actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman included mint cake in their supplies for their 2004 motorcycle trip around the world. This trip was shown in their TV series Long Way Round.
See also
In Spanish: Kendal Mint Cake para niños
