There are some things you just have to have at Christmas - and a packet of Walnut Whips is one of them! For those of us who grew up in the UK and Ireland, the sight of those individually wrapped Walnut Whips by Nestlé, in its blue packaging, was a familiar sight in sweet shops, and the confectionary sections of supermarkets and newsagents. Admittedly the individual Walnut Whips are not such a common sight these days (which has led many people to think that they've found their way up to choccy heaven. Thank goodness they haven't!) but you're more likely to find them in packs of six especially around Christmas time when the whole country goes seems to go Walnut Whip mad!
What's a Walnut Whip?
It's not a whip made out of walnuts. And neither is it a tool used to discipline a badly-behaved walnut! Walnut Whips are delicious-beyond-belief funnel-shaped hollow milk chocolate shells with a fairly thick base and a swirled, ridged exterior. The hollowed centres are then filled with a whipped, creamy, vanilla fondant - a bit like a cross between a mousse and a marshmallow. How scrumptious does that sound? It's then topped with... what else, a walnut half!
What's the packaging like?
For as long as we can remember, Walnut Whips have always been encased in a type of blue, pouch-like wrapper. Although today's wrapper is a shiny, metallic blue, some of us remember a non-metallic, darker blue wrapper. The old-school style also used to have a thin piece of card at the base of the wrapper on which the Walnut Whip could sit quite comfortably (we wouldn't want our Walnut Whip to suffer any discomfort now, would we!) but that no longer exists.
How are they sold?
Up until round about the 2000s, it was very common to see Walnut Whips sold individually in shops. These days you're more likely to see them sold as six in a box. However that's if you are able to find them at all, as we've heard - and also seen for ourselves - that not every shop stocks them up the way they once did so they're not as easy to find. We can't think why.
What are the origins of the great Walnut Whip?
The confectionary was originally launched in 1910 by Duncan’s of Edinburgh, a company founded in 1861 by mother and son, Mary and William Duncan in Dundee (and not Edinburgh.) But it wasn't until 1884 that they started to produce chocolate confectionary in Edinburgh, with them moving to a different Edinburgh location - the Regent Confectionary Works - twelve years later. The Walnut Whip was Duncan's most famous confectionary item, and it was due to the rise in popularity of this chocolate product that saw the company's factory grow to six times its original size in order to deal with manufacturing demands.
Rowntree's then acquired Duncan’s of Edinburgh in 1927, although the new company continued the Duncan's brand name. Come 1967, various confectionery products were moved to be produced in other Rowntree's factories, while the only item produced by the Edinburgh factory were... Walnut Whips! Rowntree's was later acquired by the now Nestlé UK who have continued producing Walnut Whips.
Walnut Whips have come an awfully long way! Not to mention changed hands quite a few times.
Is it only Nestlé who produces Walnut Whips?
That other great British institution Marks and Spencer’s have their own brand of Walnut Whips which are readily available throughout the year. They are generally sold in packs of three and are available in other flavours.
Are they only vanilla-flavoured?
Over the years, Nestlé have produced a few different flavoured fondant fillings but it is the vanilla or 'original' flavour which still prevails today. There was a maple, coffee flavour that is still very much missed by those who remember it very well, and there's also been a mention of a strawberry flavour.
The Marks and Spencer’s version however has other flavours such as mint, toffee pecan, and double chocolate as well as the original.
Oh and there's also been talk of a dark chocolate shell which we don't remember at all, so if it did exist at all, it was probably discontinued around the early Eighties.
What changes have occurred over the years?
Walnut Whips have undergone a few transformations over the years including the ridging on the surface of the cone; and the texture of the filling which was supposed to have been more dense. Something that is talked about a great deal was that there also used to be a walnut piece placed inside the filled chocolate case, which was a way of using up pieces of walnut that had broken up due to the manufacturing process. Eventually the walnut piece inside the chocolate was omitted (not sure why) leaving the one nut that topped the cone.
The Walnut-less Whips!
Alongside the original Walnut Whips, Nestlé decided to bring out a new walnut-less version in 2017 in order to increase their product range. As this version didn't contain walnuts, the 'walnut' part of the name had to go, so they ended up being called... Whips! Personally we'd have gone with Walnot Whips or Nulnut Whips!
There were many people who were outraged about the lack of the Whip's crowning glory. Some felt that the bitterness of the walnut counteracted the sweetness of the fondant filling so it was always a welcome addition. Others were up in arms because, well, it's nostalgic and traditional to have the chocolate cone topped with a walnut half. But Nestlé placated the naysayers by bringing out three new exciting flavours: Vanilla, mint, and caramel. These are sold individually or in packs of three.
What's the connection between Walnut Whips and Christmas?
Well Walnut Whips are a chocolate product and chocolate is always very popular at Christmas with most people consuming twice their body weight in the stuff! Many of us remember eating Walnut Whips at Christmas and other special occasions, and for us it feels that no celebration is complete without them. Other than that, there is no significant Christmas connection - it wasn't one of the gifts brought by the Wise Men or anything like that! But along with tubs of Roses and Quality Street, and Terry's Chocolate Orange, they're one of the top chocolate items that people like to tuck into while they're gathered around the TV watching EastEnders or the Christmas movie that's on.
Christmas just isn't Christmas without a Walnut Whip!
Now the big question... How do you eat yours?
Yep it was asked about that other great British confectionary classic, the Creme Egg. But we're asking you the same question with regards to Walnut Whips. So how do you eat yours?
Most people start off by picking off the walnut half on top, and then biting off the peak and slurping out the creamy filling prior to moving on to the empty chocolate shell. Some will bite into the walnut, chocolate and fondant filling simultaneously, and then you will get the those who feel the need to perform a party piece and cram as much of the Walnut Whip as they can into their gob! If you ask us, the latter is seriously missing out by not licking the filling out of the chocolate!
Wonder if there's any who chomp the top of and then scoff the filling with a spoon? Maybe we can start a trend!
Merry Christmas, everyone x
Photos: YouTube
Blog graphics: Angel Noire
