Today I am pondering on Angel Delight.
Specifically, butterscotch Angel Delight.
If you don’t know what it is, then I’m sorry, but you have significantly missed out. As a child, it was a treat to be relished. Angel Delight was almost certainly not made from angels, although it might have been ground from their ethereal wings. It was produced by the famous Bird’s manufactory in Birmingham (almost certainly not made from birds), also renowned for custard powder and blancmange – the factory has now metamorphosed into the city cultural hot-spot known as the Custard Factory (almost certainly not made from custard).
It came – comes - in a range of flavours. Banana, chocolate, strawberry... but butterscotch was/ is by far the best. Butterscotch was always a bit of a mystery. Clearly bananas and strawberries are fruits, while chocolate has origins somehow in beans, more or less... butterscotch, however, is almost certainly not made from scotch (although that now gives me an idea). According to wikipedia, “butterscotch is similar to toffee, but for butterscotch the sugar is boiled to the soft crack stage, and not hard crack as with toffee”. I can now take pride in knowing that I have eaten Angel Delight flavoured to the soft crack (ahem).
The Bird’s manufactory may be no more, but Angel Delight – and indeed butterscotch Angel Delight still exists. I suspect that I may have to try some this weekend, to see if that soft crack is still the same....
PS - if you're tempted having read this, don't get the stuff with chocolate bits added. They do nothing, honest. And this from a self-confessed chocolate addict...
Specifically, butterscotch Angel Delight.
If you don’t know what it is, then I’m sorry, but you have significantly missed out. As a child, it was a treat to be relished. Angel Delight was almost certainly not made from angels, although it might have been ground from their ethereal wings. It was produced by the famous Bird’s manufactory in Birmingham (almost certainly not made from birds), also renowned for custard powder and blancmange – the factory has now metamorphosed into the city cultural hot-spot known as the Custard Factory (almost certainly not made from custard).
It came – comes - in a range of flavours. Banana, chocolate, strawberry... but butterscotch was/ is by far the best. Butterscotch was always a bit of a mystery. Clearly bananas and strawberries are fruits, while chocolate has origins somehow in beans, more or less... butterscotch, however, is almost certainly not made from scotch (although that now gives me an idea). According to wikipedia, “butterscotch is similar to toffee, but for butterscotch the sugar is boiled to the soft crack stage, and not hard crack as with toffee”. I can now take pride in knowing that I have eaten Angel Delight flavoured to the soft crack (ahem).
The Bird’s manufactory may be no more, but Angel Delight – and indeed butterscotch Angel Delight still exists. I suspect that I may have to try some this weekend, to see if that soft crack is still the same....
PS - if you're tempted having read this, don't get the stuff with chocolate bits added. They do nothing, honest. And this from a self-confessed chocolate addict...
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