Joys Of The Black Stuff

Pontefract was once a centre of liquorice cultivation. Now Robert and Heather Copley are growing it once more on their farm

- Caroline Beck

Liquorice is a black and white issue, its bitter-sweet taste causing you to either salivate or shudder. I was in the latter camp, the very smell enough to make me feel queasy, but a campaigning husband and wife farming team, Robert and Heather Copley, have converted me. After spending a morning with them harvesting ‘wet’ liquorice from their farm near Pontefract and eating the root straight from the ground, I can confidently declare that I’m a liquorice convert, having discovered, by the action of chewing it slowly, a fresh taste somewhere between sweetness and salt. Robert and Heather are not the only fans. They’ve been approached by perfumiers, tea producers, artisan brewers and top chefs across the country, all eager for something partly exotic and partly nostalgic, and about as far away from the stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth childhood sweets, as you can get.