Pontefract Liquorice Festival: The best pictures from festival celebrating historic sticky sweet

It could have been medieval knights who owned Pontefract Castle, when they returned from the Crusades, or monks, who settled at Pontefract Priory.

Today, Glycyrrhiza glabra, a plant which grows wild around the Mediterranean, is largely an import from Turkey, but for centuries it was grown between the houses in the town.

Originally the powerful anti-inflammatory was used as a cure-all for everything from stomach ulcers and heartburn to colic, bronchitis and tuberculosis.

Legend has it that an apothecary chemist in the family trade in Pontefract called George Dunhill added sugar to liquorice in 1760 to create a chewable lozenge – the sweet we know it today.

Nicknamed “Spanish” – the root grown in Spain is sweet enough to be sucked in its raw state - the plant began to be grown on an industrial scale for Yorkshire’s many large sweet manufacturers.

By the late 19th century there were a dozen firms churning out thousands of Pontefract “cakes”.

It has been synonymous with the community for so long that it was even celebrated in rhyme by Sir John Betjeman, in his poem The Liquorice Fields at Pontefract.

Liquorice is still among the sweets made at the town’s Valeo Confectionery factory alongside jelly beans, nougat and gums.

And yesterday thousands of people turned out to enjoy liquorice in all its forms as part of the town’s annual Liquorice Festival.

Everything from liquorice-topped pork pies to a “full-bodied” stout and a herbal tea could be tried as part of a special food and drink trail, while street entertainers including Lucy Liquorice, colourful funfair rides and free face painting, kept families entertained.

The festival also included family workshops featuring liquorice jewellery making as well as talks by local historian Tom Dixon on the history of liquorice.

Speaking ahead of the event Paul Cartwright, Chair of Pontefract Civic Society, said: “We’re really pleased to be working with the council and supporting the local community and businesses to put on a full entertainment programme that everyone will enjoy.

"There’s the outdoor artisan market, food stalls, children getting involved through their schools, Pontefract Art Club, a liquorice art trail, and a scavenger hunt with prizes across the town.”