The Confectioner's Vegetable Colours & Fruit Essences Co. Ltd.

They had snappy business titles back in the '50s, don't you think?

I was digging around in my 'chocolate box' (it has not chocolates in it, but has lots of bits that belong to my chocolate making indulgence) and I came across something I wanted to share. It's the remnants of the old mould catalogue that my Grandpa had when he first began making chocolates.

My grandpa had a sweet shop in a little village called Thornton near Bradford. Somewhere, there's a beautiful photo of him holding me as a little girl outside this shop and whilst I was too young to remember it being taken, it is a precious photo because it captures what was always a lovely relationship between us. I was so fond of my grandpa...

I've included this letter because I did try and find the company again when I started making chocolates myself...but to no avail. Can you remember four digit telephone numbers? As I grinned at the idea of anyone now being able to answer 'Chiswick 2672', a distant memory stirs as I remember our grandparents' telephone number - 'Thornton 3056'.

The following are pages from this catalogue, though I can't tell you if it's the 'readjusted' version or the original one. It's great to see which moulds my grandpa chose - which I still have - and also which ones he didn't choose!

Enjoy a browse - and imagine all of these were designed to produce a chocolate figure....some of them would not take my fancy at all!

I have the toadstools, bottom left, from this page.

Nothing here took his fancy...who on earth would want number 57?

We have 'mad bunny in car' - top left who is one of my favourites to make at Easter.

Not sure why he chose the bunny on the egg, top right. It's not one I'd have picked.

My favourite March Hare.
We have the one at top right - though bottom left looks a handsome chappie too.
The motorbike is fantastic - I'd have loved him.

We have the top left, bunnies round an egg mould and the bunny with an egg in the car, in the
middle of the photo - in two sizes, no less!

So glad that none of these appealed...

And from a different catalogue, I have some more moulds. These pages were too big to fit into the printer properly but you can get an idea of the choices available. Again, some are great and others are downright odd!

From this page, I have the pocket watch and - only just visible at the bottom of the page - the rhinoceros.

These are all moulds made of metal and haven't survived as well as the others, which are made of a clear rigid plastic, called 'Plexiglas'. I have the Santa, the Sailor and the Policeman but can't use them any more - I'd have health and safety after me!

The lion and the little bird at the bottom are the ones we have from this page - again, I don't use them for making any more but would be very loathe ever to part with them!

My grandpa did choose the pocket knife but happily, no guns. We had too the wristwatch and train. I can't tell the difference between this pocket watch and the other, but we had pocket watches. 

It's a shame that I can't use these metal moulds anymore. They are so redolent of the period and have lovely details. But as they are made from metal, some of them have rust spots now. When I first got them, I did use them, but that's twenty five years ago and even then, they didn't always turn out easily. They have spent too much time in storage recently to ever be of real use again. I have considered making silicone casts of them - it might not result in the best copy but I may think about it. Alternatively, I may continue to buy a couple of new moulds each year which are made from an excellent material - polycarbonate - which allows the chocolate to set and release beautifully.

I feel very lucky to have such a wonderful collection of moulds. I don't know if they are of any real value - obviously to me they have a huge sentimental value and I wouldn't part with them - but I am so pleased to have these old documents and catalogues in my possession, as well as the selection of chocolate moulds that my grandpa purchased from them over 50 years ago.