Bassett’s Liquorice Allsorts have been one of Britain’s favourite sweets for more 1 a hundred years. Each box contains a selection of the eight different liquorice sweets, each of which has a name. On the box itself is a picture of Bertie Bassett, a figure 2 body is made entirely from Allsorts. Over forty-million Allsorts are now produced every week at the company’s plant in the city of Sheffield and these are exported all 3 the world. Yet the idea for the product was the result of an accident. In June 1899, Bassett’s was already selling the individual liquorice sweets separately, when company employee, Charlie Thompson, dropped a tray full of them 4 a presentation to the owner of a sweet shop. Seeing how good they looked all mixed 5 on the floor, the shop owner said he would like to sell the sweets, 6 only if they could be sold as a mixture. A new brand was thus created which soon became very popular. It has been in production 7 since. For something created purely by chance, the success of the product has been incredible. 8 its rather old-fashioned image, it is one of those brands which continues to grow, according to reports issued by the sweet industry.