Did you know that Wagon Wheels have been around in the UK since 1948?
(ok, it’s not technically a sweet…but I watched a program recently where top-end chefs had to replicate them in just one week…and it’s renewed my vigor for them…)
Invented by Canadian-born businessman Gary Weston, the popular lunch-box treat is composed of two round, very fine and semi-soft cocoa biscuits, with a stretchy layer of white marshmallow sandwiched in between and gently coated in milk chocolate.
Weston’s father Willard Garfield Weston was in admiration of the quality of British biscuits when on leave during the First World War, and began establishing his own biscuit companies (as well as acquiring many small independent ones) throughout the UK during the early 1930’s.
In just six weeks the biscuit was conceptualized and put into production and has become a firm favourite with children across the commonwealth since their debut eight decades ago!
Where does the name come from? Well, at the time Western films were a huge cultural hit, and typecast cowboy John Wayne was one of the world’s biggest movie stars; western-mania swept across the globe, and due to the big ‘n’ round shape of Gary Weston’s snack, he used this popular theme to market his new chocolate treat.
Variations (past and present) include original chocolate, fudge, raspberry, jammy, orange, caramel, banoffee and malted…who would love to see some of these flavours back in the UK?
Like the KitKat, it can be argued that the Wagon Wheel treads the fine line between sweet, snack or biscuit. Generations of people will have fond memories of seemingly giant Wagon Wheels in our packed lunches, or enjoying one as an afternoon snack.
Many of us also insist that Wagon Wheels were larger in the past, but current manufacturers Burton’s Biscuits have denied this. Our memories of Wagon Wheels being bigger ‘back in the day’ are apparently down to the perspective of eating them as a small child, when everything seems bigger and more impressive.
How about you? Do you swear that Wagon Wheels were bigger back then?
The British Candy Connoisseur 