Barratt Fruit Salad Stick Pack - 36g

One sugar boiler in Hoxton

George Osborne Barratt started with a single sugar boiler at 32 Shepherdess Walk, Hoxton. That is it. One boiler. Several of his siblings and children piled in, the business grew, and by 1906 Barratt had become the largest confectionery manufacturer in the world. Three years later, in 1909, it became a limited company. His son, Sir Albert Barratt, died in 1941 and is buried in the family grave at Highgate Cemetery. A long way from one boiler in Hoxton.

Lost, found, back on the wrapper

Then the complicated middle bit. Bassett's acquired Barratt & Co. Ltd. in 1966, and Cadbury Schweppes took over Bassett's in 1989. The old Barratt factory at Wood Green closed in 1980 after a long decline, and the site is now a complex called The Chocolate Factory, which feels about right. Since 2008 Barratt has been part of Tangerine Confectionery, now Valeo Confectionery, and in 2018 the name was brought back into active use. Fruit Salad is made by Barratt in Spain, and Black Jack in the UK and Spain.

The old gang, all present

The revived range reads like a register call from the sweet shop: DipDab, Refreshers, Nougat, Sherbet Fountain, Fruit Salad, Black Jack and Wham. Black Jack, introduced in 1920, is still sitting right next to Fruit Salad. You could argue about which one was better. People have, mostly in playgrounds, mostly with their mouths full. Nobody has ever won.