5 minute read
ROCK OF AGES
A St Annes family carries on creating a seaside treat into the next generation, as Alma Stewart finds out how to ‘Say it with a Sweetie’
Blackwood’s of Blackpool have been for decades at the forefront of manufacturing one of Blackpool’s most famous souvenirs – the stick of rock. Founded in 1948, when sugar was still rationed and smuggled into the factory in prams, the Blackwood family started a successful business, which included a shop, that is still going strong 75 years later.
Bob Blackwood and step-brother Geoffrey Race, aged 70 and 79 respectively, grew up helping in the shop and still create a wide variety of tempting treats from the traditional stick of rock, to sugar dummies and lollipops. Together with Geoffrey’s wife Margaret, 76, they continue to make, package and sell these seaside staples.
Geoffrey and Margaret’s daughter Heather, picked up the rock making mantle back in 2008. A former computer programmer, Heather was a busy mum of three and when Geoffrey gave her a leftover rock order where the customer had asked for the rock to be cut into smaller sizes. Geoffrey suggested she may be able to sell this unusual size and she was surprised to find she was onto a business winner.
Heather said: “Dad had had an unusual request to cut the rock into smaller pieces and there was quite a lot left over. He suggested I try to sell a bag on eBay to make a bit of money, and I found they sold straight away. So, I listed another bag and again they quickly sold. I realised there was a market for this, so I started to look at different flavours and designs.” Little did she know that this would lead one of her creations to appear on the cover of a Kaiser Chiefs album, Souvenir.
And talking of celebrity endorsements, mum Margaret wrote to the Queen ahead of her visit to Blackpool in 1994, to ask if she could present the monarch with some of their homemade rock. Before long, Palace security staff descended on the factory to make sure nothing was going in the mix that could cause the Queen any harm. Margaret did indeed present the rock to Her Majesty at her visit to the Grand Theatre with Heather and Geoffrey looking on.
LITTLE DID SHE KNOW THAT THIS WOULD LEAD ONE OF HER CREATIONS TO APPEAR ON THE COVER OF A KAISER CHIEFS ALBUM, SOUVENIR
Heather’s company, Say It With A Sweetie Ltd, now creates 20 designs and an eclectic mix of flavours such as pink lemonade, chilli, frozen berries, rhubarb and custard and Caribbean crush. Heather explains the flavouring process: “It only takes a couple of drops of both flavour and colour. I really enjoy mixing the flavours to create something different but this takes a bit of guesswork. The mixed berries for example was a combination of raspberry, strawberry and blueberry flavours. I am often eating a sweet or drinking a can of pop and suddenly think ‘I can try and create that flavour!’.
The designs feature a choice of lettering and icons to suit many occasions. During Covid, Heather found a rise in sales of rainbow edged ‘thank you’ sweets. She has also created a stick of rock for Children in Need, had a televised visit from actor and comedian Ade Edmundson, created branded sweets for Tommy Hillfiger and last year, also made personalised rock for comedian Russell Brand. Her sweets have also been shipped all over the world.
Heather said: “My biggest sales recently have been for Pride events around the UK, between 10 and 20 thousand a week which is a fair amount for me as I run the business by myself. My ‘love’ rainbow sweets have really grabbed the gay community and it’s a real honour to be able to support the LGBTQA+ celebrations.”
And now to the question everyone wants to ask – how do you get the lettering in the rock?
Heather explains: “Well first of all, there can be no more than 16 letters within the rock. So the first stage is taking the melted glucose,
sugar and water mix which is then poured onto a tray to keep warm. When the mix is aired, it turns white. Another mix is coloured and the two go through the rollers to stretch and flatten the mixture. The coloured mix is cut in blocks to form letters and the white is moulded around them. This huge stick of rock is then rolled thinner and thinner and then for the sweets, it’s put through the cutting machine which also wraps the sweets in plastic free and biodegradable cellophane.”
If there is any doubt about the process, in 1990, mum Margaret wrote a book on this very subject entitled ‘The Story of Blackpool Rock’ which explains more of the fascinating process.
I AM OFTEN EATING A SWEET OR DRINKING A CAN OF POP AND SUDDENLY THINK ‘I CAN TRY AND CREATE THAT FLAVOUR!
Although Heather is busy with her company, she also has found time to explore another passion – marine biology – and has just finished her first year of a BSc degree though Blackpool and the Fylde College. She added: “Being ‘sand grown’, I have always loved the beach and of course, the sea and diving. I wanted to grab an opportunity to study this fascinating subject and I am excited to be volunteering on a study of sea grass meadows this summer in Greece. Next year, I hope to spend my 30 hours of volunteering here in St Annes to help conserve our sand dunes.”
Proof indeed that Heather’s life has been committed to the local seaside in more ways than one!
