Liquorice allsorts are a British candy assortment of layered liquorice, fondant, coconut and jelly pieces sold together — so one bag holds roughly ten different treats, not one uniform sweet.
Reach into a bag expecting ten identical black twists and you’ll be confused by lunchtime. The pieces look mismatched on purpose: dark liquorice blocks, pastel sandwich layers, coconut rolls, bright jelly buttons. That variety is the whole idea, and it dates back to a dropped tray in 1899. Below is what’s actually in the mix, what each piece is made of, and the allergen traps that catch people out.
A Sheffield Salesman’s Dropped Tray Started It
The assortment traces to 1899, when a Bassetts salesman named Charlie Thompson reportedly dropped a tray of liquorice and cream-paste samples in front of a Leicester wholesaler. The mixed pieces drew more interest than any single one, and the order went out as an assortment. Bassetts’ predecessor company, Geo. Bassett & Co., had been making sweets in Sheffield since 1842.
That origin story is well documented as the brand’s founding tale rather than a manufacturing blueprint. What matters for shoppers is the naming: “allsorts” describes a mixed selection of liquorice-based sweets, not a fixed recipe. Typical bags carry around ten different piece types, and the exact lineup shifts by brand, batch and country of sale.
What’s Actually Inside the Bag
Most allsorts combine liquorice with sweet fondant, coconut, cocoa or fruit-flavored jelly, so the black liquorice is a flavor thread running through the mix rather than the material of every piece. A current Maynards Bassetts ingredient listing includes sugar, molasses, glucose syrup, wheat flour, desiccated coconut, gelatine, starch, fat-reduced cocoa powder, liquorice extract, vegetable oils, flavorings, colors and carnauba wax.
The flavor itself comes from liquorice extract made from liquorice root, which contains glycyrrhizin — a naturally sweet compound. Cadbury World’s fact sheet notes that the extract, not the dried root, is the raw material used in confectionery. Colors in the cited formulations include caramel, beetroot-derived color, curcumin, paprika extract, vegetable carbon, lutein, anthocyanins and spirulina.
| Piece Type | What It’s Made Of | Texture |
|---|---|---|
| Layered sandwich blocks | Dark liquorice pressed against pale fondant | Chewy outside, soft center |
| Coconut rolls and rounds | Liquorice or fondant coated in desiccated coconut | Firm, gritty bite |
| Bright jelly buttons | Fruit-flavored jelly with a sugar coating | Soft, springy |
| Plain liquorice pieces | Liquorice extract, molasses, wheat flour | Dense and chewy |
| Cocoa-toned blocks | Fat-reduced cocoa powder with fondant | Smooth, mild |
| Twists and layered shapes | Alternating liquorice and colored paste | Firm, layered |
| Aniseed and citrus pieces | Flavorings including aniseed, lemon, raspberry, orange | Varies by piece |
The Allergen and Dietary Traps Nobody Mentions
Liquorice allsorts are not gluten-free, not vegetarian, and not safe for coconut allergies — three assumptions shoppers make constantly, and all three are wrong for the standard formulations. Wheat flour appears in the cited ingredient lists, and gelatine is listed, with one imported product specifically identifying beef gelatine.
Coconut is a core ingredient in the rolls and rounds, so anyone avoiding it needs to pick through the bag rather than trust the label’s headline. Listed products may also carry warnings for milk, soy and sesame, and the glucose syrup is declared as containing sulphites. Recipes change, and a UK panel doesn’t describe every US import — package sizes, colors and allergen wording differ by market. Read the panel on the bag in your hand.
On the liquorice side, glycyrrhizin is present by definition, and the available sources don’t establish a current US serving limit. If you’re stocking up, this roundup of tested liquorice allsorts covers what’s actually worth buying.
Where the flavor comes from is settled: the extract carries it, per Cadbury World’s liquorice brand fact sheet, which also confirms the extract-not-root distinction.
Why No Two Bags Taste Identical
Every manufacturer builds its own piece selection, and even one brand’s batches vary in shape, color and proportion. An imported allsorts product, for example, lists flavorings such as aniseed, lemon, raspberry, vanilla and orange plus fruit and vegetable juices including blackcurrant and carrot — a wider flavor spread than the classic British mix.
That means a bag labeled “liquorice allsorts” is a promise of variety, not a promise of specific components. If you loved one particular piece in a bag you bought abroad, the same-named product at home may simply not contain it. Check the panel, or buy from a brand whose lineup you already know.
Common Questions
Are liquorice allsorts the same as black liquorice?
No. Black liquorice is a single confection built around liquorice extract. Allsorts are an assortment in which liquorice is one component among fondant, coconut, cocoa and jelly pieces. Many pieces in a bag contain no liquorice at all, or only a thin layer of it.
Do liquorice allsorts contain alcohol?
The cited ingredient declarations list sugar, molasses, glucose syrup, wheat flour, coconut, gelatine, starch, cocoa, liquorice extract, oils, flavorings, colors and carnauba wax — no alcohol. Always confirm on the specific package, since formulations differ by brand and market.
How many pieces are in a typical assortment?
Roughly ten different types per bag, according to the standard product descriptions, though the count depends on the brand and package size. Some bags run slightly more, some fewer, and the mix can change between batches.
Sources
- Cadbury World. “Brand Fact Sheet – The Liquorice Story” Supports the use of liquorice extract as the confectionery raw material.
- Wikipedia. “Liquorice allsorts” Supports the 1899 origin story, Bassetts history and typical ingredient breakdown.