Midget Gems
Encyclopedia
Midget Gems are chewy, firm sweets
similar to wine gum
s. They are manufactured from glucose syrup
, sugar
, and animal gelatin
, mixed with colourings and flavouring.
Midget Gems were extremely popular in the North of England and were one of The Lion Confectionery Company's biggest selling brands. In 1995 the company joined forces with Cadbury Trebor Bassett brand Maynard's to market the sweet across the country.
At the time the sweet was re-branded under the Maynard's banner, the black Midget Gems were changed from liquorice flavour to blackcurrant, but only in the bagged product. Those sold loose, from jars and boxes, remain liquorice. You can actually buy just the black liquorice ones on-line from a company called Conwy Candies Ltd. http://www.conwycandies.co.uk/Just_The_Black_Ones_From_The_Lions_Midget_Gems_100g_Original_Liquorice_Sweets/p436736_5112435.aspx
Midget Gems are produced by a wide variety of other companies. Glisten Confectionery manufacture them under their Victoria brand, and in 2007 announced that they were removing all artificial colours and flavourings from the sweets. Many supermarkets and stores such as Asda
, Tesco
and Sainsbury's manufacture their own versions.
The sweet is so popular that Liverpool Football Club at one point sold their own branded tubs of Midget Gems, and the sweet frequently appears in lists of "Favourite sweets".
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
similar to wine gum
Wine gum
Wine gums are chewy, firm pastille-type sweets similar to gumdrops without the sugar coating. While generally manufactured from gelatin, at least one winegum, Swedish Fish, contains no gelatin; all have their own mixes containing various sweeteners, flavorings, and colorings...
s. They are manufactured from glucose syrup
Glucose syrup
Glucose syrup is a food syrup, made from the hydrolysis of starch. Maize is commonly used as the source of the starch in the USA, in which case the syrup is called "corn syrup", but glucose syrup is also made from other starch crops, including potatoes, wheat, barley, rice and cassavap.21...
, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, and animal gelatin
Gelatin
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
, mixed with colourings and flavouring.
Midget Gems were extremely popular in the North of England and were one of The Lion Confectionery Company's biggest selling brands. In 1995 the company joined forces with Cadbury Trebor Bassett brand Maynard's to market the sweet across the country.
Midget Gems are produced by a wide variety of other companies. Glisten Confectionery manufacture them under their Victoria brand, and in 2007 announced that they were removing all artificial colours and flavourings from the sweets. Many supermarkets and stores such as Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
, Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
and Sainsbury's manufacture their own versions.
The sweet is so popular that Liverpool Football Club at one point sold their own branded tubs of Midget Gems, and the sweet frequently appears in lists of "Favourite sweets".