Pontefract Cakes

Pontefract Cakes: Proper Liquorice with Northern Soul

If you’ve never had Pontefract Cakes, you haven’t tasted liquorice as it was meant to be. These chewy little discs of black magic are a Yorkshire invention — soft, richly flavoured, and stamped with history. Forget the rubbery stuff from a petrol station pick and mix. This is the real deal: bold, botanical and beautifully bittersweet, just as it should be.

What Exactly Are Pontefract Cakes?

Also known as Pomfret cakes — a nod to Pontefract’s Norman name — these small, round liquorice sweets were once stamped with the seal of Pontefract Castle. Shaped like old coins, soft in texture and almost medicinal in depth of flavour, they remain one of the most traditional liquorice sweets available in the UK. Proper Pontefract Cakes are not the brittle, leathery knock-offs found in bargain tubs. They're supple, sticky, and carry a timeworn authority in every bite.

A Sweet with History (and a Very English Identity)

Grown in the town of Pontefract itself, liquorice once made this West Yorkshire market town the liquorice capital of the North. It was the furthest north liquorice was ever cultivated for sweet-making, and its name is forever stamped — quite literally — into the soft rounds it gave to the world. Once considered medicinal, these sweets have retained their place in our national culinary heritage, used even by the likes of Paul Hollywood in his liquorice sponge pudding recipe from ‘Pies & Puds’.

Not Just Any Liquorice

Let’s be clear: Pontefract Cakes are in a different league to everyday liquorice. They’re softer than the average twist, more flavourful than liquorice laces, and proudly traditional. They share shelves with the likes of liquorice allsorts, liquorice fudge, liquorice flowers, and liquorice mint rolls, but they’re first among equals — unmistakable, unmistakably Northern, and unmistakably proper.

Ingredients with Purpose

A classic Pontefract Cake is built on liquorice extract, of course, but you’ll also find glucose syrup, invert sugar syrup, wheat flour, treacle, and a small army of botanicals: calcium carbonate, niacin, iron, and vegetable oils among them. The result is a rich, balanced chew — not too sweet, not too bitter, and nothing like the supermarket stuff that crumbles instead of melting.

Modern Makers, Historic Method

Brands like Haribo and Taveners now make Pontefract Cakes under modern manufacturing processes, but the soul of the sweet remains unchanged. Originally pressed in wooden moulds at Wilkinsons of Pontefract, they were once embossed with a custom stamp that gave them their royal appearance. Today, even in bulk, they retain that unmistakable aroma and inky sheen that says: this is proper British confectionery.

Perfect for Gifting (and Keeping)

Pontefract Cakes aren’t just for nostalgic grandparents or retro sweet lovers. They’re ideal for modern gifting too — unusual, elegant, and full of character. Our Liquorice Selection Boxes feature Pontefract Cakes alongside other favourites like jelly sprogs, liquorice gums, and liquorice cuttings, making them the perfect choice for birthdays, thank-yous or corporate hampers with a bit more soul.

How to Order Pontefract Cakes Online

At Duncan’s Online Sweet Shop, we sell proper Pontefract Cakes by weight — 500g, 1kg, and beyond. Fresh, never dusty, and sealed for flavour, they’re ready to post across the UK and beyond. We offer free UK delivery on larger orders, and our packaging ensures these chewy little coins arrive just as they left: rich, soft and brimming with that unmistakable flavour. Whether you're shopping for a liquorice lover or topping up your own stash, they’re just a few clicks away.

For a liquorice gift with real heritage — and proper flavour — you simply can’t beat Pontefract Cakes.