Licorice Festival at Pontefract a Success

Imagine a festival celebrating licorice! It would be heaven for licorice lovers. On July 12 of this year, thousands of people turned out in Pontefract, England, for their annual Licorice Festival. (That's "Liquorice Festival" to the Brits.)

Pontefract farmers first started growing licorice in a small field in 1730, and now the quaint cobblestoned town is dubbed the "Liquorice Capital of the Word." The Liquorice Festival celebrates with live entertainment, vendors, tours of the historic castle, licorice-themed food and of course, lots of yummy licorice to sample and buy.

At this year's festival, you could make a licorice mosaic, watch Maypole dancers, learn about licorice workers through the years, and watch the Urban Angels Aerial Acrobats. You could also choose from licorice sausages, licorice pies, licorice ale, pot grown licorice plants, and plenty of licorice candy, including the colorful Licorice Allsorts, a popular treat in the UK.

Here's a video from a past Liquorice Festival:



Click here to return to the main blog page.

Eat Licorice, Find Something From Nebraska

Are you planning a visit to Lincoln, Nebraska? Licorice International is becoming a favorite stop for Lincoln visitors. And right next door you can pick up a souvenir to remind you of your visit to Nebraska.

“From Nebraska” features the finest products made in Nebraska, starting with foods grown and manufactured in our great state. You can choose from popcorn, sausage, jellies, seasonings, and the ever-popular Baker’s Chocolates and Dorothy Lynch salad dressing, which the store ships all over the world. Can’t decide on one item? Pick up a gift basket featuring several of the most popular foods.

You can find wine from 15 of Nebraska’s 24 vineyards. Stop by any time for a private wine tasting, or come for Saturday Sippings, the second Saturday of the month from 4-7 p.m., featuring a different local winery each month.

The store also sells homemade soaps and candles, Nebraska souvenirs and clothing. The book section includes books about Nebraska and by Nebraska authors.

Located at 803 Q Street, right next to Licorice International, the store is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more info see http://www.fromne.com/

Licorice Race

Two sisters have a licorice race. Hilarious!


Sibling licorice battle from Joel on Vimeo.
Click here to return to the main blog page.

Australia: Land of Licorice

"The Candied Life" blog recently posted a review of licorice made in Australia, comparing it to Twizzlers. Their verdict? Once you've tried real licorice made in Australia, you won't want to go back to Twizzlers. Licorice made in Australia "tastes like the flavor it announces, not a ghostly hint of that flavor amidst a mouthful of wax. The licorice is the star, not the medium."

Read the entire post here.

You can choose from 15 different kinds of Australian Licorice at Licorice International, including the popular Kookaburra Black Twists. See all the varieties of Australian licorice here.

Click here to return to the main blog page.

Soldiers are requesting licorice

Celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse recently visited a military base to film a TV special. In a follow-up interview he was asked what non-perishable food items he would recommend that family and friends send to military people. One of the things he suggested was licorice. Here's what he said:

Q: What non-perishable food items would you recommend that family and friends send to military people?

A: I just shipped a box [recently] to a couple of friends and it was simple stuff … a lot of my spices, which is what they wanted, a few jars of my pasta sauce, licorice — believe it or not, red and black licorice was one of the big requests — and hard candies. Bags of them, because that’s what they miss.

(Read the full interview here .)

You can share licorice with our troops through Licorice International's "Treats for the Troops" program. You can purchase either a 12-pound box of Licorice Candy Twists (approximately 500 twists) or an 8-pound box of Licorice Candy Twists (approximately 350 twists). Licorice International will ship the box to a chaplain who will distribute the candy to men and women serving our country.

Click here for more information about this great program.

Chew on This: Free Licorice XyliChew Gum All This Month!

Here's a tasty way to cleaner teeth: Chew XyliChew Chewing Gum! A dentist quoted in this month's issue of Readers Digest suggests that people chew six or seven pieces of xylitol gum every day to keep cavities away.

Xylitol, a natural sweetener found in licorice, has been proven to help fight cavities and is endorsed by six national dentist organizations. Click here to read more about the benefits of this amazing substance.

Now you can try a free pack of XyliChew Chewing Gum made with xylitol. Place any on-line order with Licorice International, and you will receive a free full-size package of XyliChew Chewing Gum (value $1.75). The gum will automatically be included with your order. This offer is good through the end of July 2009.

Click here for more info on this offer.

Flag Cake Made from Licorice Candy Twists

Here's a great way to decorate a cake for the Fourth of July: Make a flag out of Kenny's Licorice Candy Twists.

To make the flag I simply used Red Raspberry and Pina Colada for the stripes and Blue Raspberry for the star field.

Fourteen flavors of Licorice Candy Twists are available from Licorice International.

Click here to return to the main blog page.