I Just Learned The Purple One In Quality Streets Has The Wrong Nut In It, And Wow

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how Quality Street’s name refers to a JM Barrie play and used to be marketed completely differently. 

Roses and Celebrations both have their own interesting backstories too ― but so far as we know, neither of their products has managed to hide their ingredient change in such plain sight as Quality Street’s The Purple One. 

The caramel and hazelnut-filled sweet (which is my personally favourite) is known for the gorgeous colour of its wrapping, its sheer heft, and its boomerang-style shape. 

But it turns out that iconic shape ― and, to some extent, size ― was designed for a completely different nut than the current hazelnut choice. 

What nut was The Purple One built for?

The original curved design of the sweet was meant for a Brazil nut. 

Speaking to Stylist, Alex Hutchinson, archivist and historian for Nestlé, shared: “When you look at it, the chocolate is shaped like a Brazil nut. And it used to be a Brazil Caramel Cream.”

Everything changes, though ― “But now it’s a hazelnut inside; less polarising and more uniform – important for manufacturing a standard product,” Hutchinson added.

And though Alex said: “What I don’t know is when the change happened. I’ve been looking into it for 10 years, in the archives and old TV ads. Still unsolved,” Nestlé’s site now explains the change was due to wartime shortages. 

“To this day, the sweet is shaped like a Brazil nut,” the company says.

The shape changed this year

Though the curved, Brazil nut-shaped chocolate is the one most of us have in mind when we think of the Purple One, Quality Street actually changed its shape this year.

The sweet treat is now circular, which I guess suits its hazelnut filling more. 

Not everyone’s happy with the new shape, calling it “just not right.” 

But as it turns out, the Purple Ones we’ve been eating for years have all been far from the original anyway... we just never knew.