The Toffee Shop

A toffee shop in Penrith

The Toffee Shop was first founded in 1910 when Mrs Annie Furnass opened the doors to an Aladdin’s Cave of a shop in the heart of Penrith. Alongside the sweets, shoppers could find all sorts of trinkets and treasures. The confectionery must have really stood out, though, as it was soon in demand across the UK and even abroad. Annie’s recipes even caught the eye of royalty, with the Duke of Kent being a particular fan and stopping by whenever he passed through the town.

The shop moved to another Penrith street in the 1950s, where it’s still to be found today. The sugary scent of molten fudge and toffee floats through the air as you enter, and the history of this local Cumbrian sweet maker is evident throughout the charming store.

The secret recipe

Through the years since Mrs Furnass’s retirement in the 80s, The Toffee Shop has passed through several hands, all of them sharing a love for the sweet creations and the shop’s local history. Kathryn Graves, who grew up visiting the shop and enjoying the toffee and fudge, now holds the top secret original recipe and continues to make what she considers the best fudge and toffee she’s ever tasted.

The recipe is still widely unknown and only a small number of people are privvy to it. Not even multiple visits from royals such as the late Queen Elizabeth and King Charles could extract the safely-guarded secret! And to see why it’s so closely protected, you’ll just have to try some of their toffee and fudge!

Handmade toffee and fudge from Cumbria

Not only does the recipe stretch back to the early 1900s, the creation process still makes use of traditional methods. The toffee is hand-made in large brass pans, before being broken up with toffee hammers and then wrapped and packaged in traditional cardboard boxes – again, all by hand. The fudge follows a similar process, but is hand-beaten, left to set overnight, then cut into slabs to be packaged.

With such care and personal consideration taken with each bar and box, The Toffee Shop’s sweets really are something extra special.

If you can’t wait to try some for yourself, we don’t blame you! Browse our collection and buy online today.