What Are Aniseed Balls? (And What Is in the Middle)

An aniseed ball is a small, very hard, dark red sweet flavoured with aniseed oil, built up in layers around a seed at the centre. They are one of the oldest things in a British sweet shop and one of the longest-lasting — you are not supposed to bite them.

What is in the middle of an aniseed ball?

A rapeseed. This is the bit people either remember or refuse to believe, and it is right there in the declaration: rape seed, listed among the ingredients of our aniseed balls.

It is there for a practical reason rather than flavour. Aniseed balls are made by panning — tumbling a core in a rotating drum while syrup is added in thin layers that dry between coats. You need something small and hard to build the layers onto, and a rapeseed does the job. Suck one down far enough and you will get to it.

What are they made of?

The full declaration: dextrose, sugar, maize starch, rape seed, modified maize starch, flavourings (aniseed oil), colours E129 and Brilliant Black BN, and carnauba wax as a glazing agent.

Two things worth pulling out of that. The flavour is aniseed oil, a real extract, which is why it tastes of aniseed rather than of liquorice — the two get confused constantly and they are unrelated plants. And the glaze is carnauba wax, which comes from a palm leaf, not from an insect. That matters for the next question.

Are aniseed balls vegan and halal?

Both. There is no gelatine, no dairy, no beeswax and no shellac in them. The glazing agent is plant-derived carnauba wax and the colours are synthetic rather than insect-based, so there is no carmine. They are one of the few traditional sweets that pass every test without a caveat.

One thing to know before buying for children

Aniseed balls contain E129 (Allura Red), and the declaration carries the warning that is legally required with it: may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. That is a labelling rule rather than a recall, but if you are filling party bags it is worth knowing about.

The bigger practical point is the hardness. They are rock solid and they are round, which is the shape most associated with choking risk in small children. We would not put them in a bag for under-fives. There is more on that in are lollipops safe for children.

How many calories in an aniseed ball?

Ours weigh 2.5g each and declare 365 kcal and 90.9g of sugar per 100g. That works out at about 9 kcal and 2.3g of sugar per ball. They last a long time for that, which is rather the point of them — see how many calories are in one sweet for how that compares.

Buying them

We sell aniseed balls in 200g bags and in bulk up to 3kg. They keep extremely well — a hard-panned sweet with almost no moisture in it is about as stable as confectionery gets.