The Story of…

Joseph Wiper the Inventor of Mint Cake

Sugar from the West Indies was one of the many goods - tobacco and rum among them - that had been carried to Kendal by pack-horses for centuries, from the west coast ports of Whitehaven and Maryport.

Thompsons were famous for their Kendal Butter Toffee, Black Bull's Eyes and Butter Tablet.

Young Joseph Wiper was hard-working and inventive, and it is claimed that he first produced Mint Cake after a sugar-boiling that 'went wrong'.

Malt Kiln on Mawkey Hill Below J.Wiper's House

A major concern was to restore the original lime plaster render on the front elevation.

Lime Plaster is typical of the period - it is hard wearing and weatherproof but its main advantage is that it dries out rapidly after rain - something important to us as rain is a familiar feature of Kendal's climate.

Wiper’s Shop, Canada

Once established in Canada Joseph Wiper immediately set about opening what he called 'Wiper's English Sweet Shops'.

These were a great success, especially during World War II when crowds would gather outside the shops, waiting for the few hours a week when they opened.

Interior of Wiper’s Shop, Canada

The reduced opening hours during World War II came about because of a shortage of materials for sweet-making.

Today no Mint Cake is made in Canada, and Wiper's shops no longer exist.

Wiper’s Shop, Stricklandgate

In Kendal, Joseph's great-nephew Robert Wiper had taken over a thriving business with a busy shop on Stricklandgate.

Wiper’s 1887 Float

In 1887 for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, Robert Wiper employed a horse drawn float to parade around the town advertising his product.

Wiper’s Gold Medal

By 1895 there were shops in Kendal, Sunderland, Monkswearmouth, South Shields and Lancaster, and their advertisement highlighted an Award of a Gold Medal and Diploma.

Wiper's Mint Cake Advert

Robert Wiper soon saw the value of supplying Mint Cake to Mountaineering and other Expeditions.

The first to take Wiper's was the British Imperial Trans-antarctic Expedition of 1914, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton and was followed subsequently by many more.

Wiper’s Parcel from R.R.S Discovery II

A Wiper's parcel was supplied for the R.R.S 'Discovery II' British Antarctic Expedition of 1931-2.

The British Mount Everest Expeditions

The British Mount Everest Expeditions took Wiper's Mint Cake in their attempts in 1922, 1924, 1933 and 1935-6.

The Mint Cake was packed in wooden cases lined with tin, made by Martindales of Kendal.

This was to keep the Mint Cake fresh. Each case weighed 40 lbs, the maximum load a Sherpa was allowed to carry.

The cases would have been brought by mule the 400 miles from Darjeeling to Everest base camp.

Explorers and Mint Cake

Dr Howard Somervell of Kendal, a member of the 1922 and 1924 Expeditions, presented Mint Cake to the Dalai Lama of Tibet (who at that time granted permission for expeditions) and apparently he was highly delighted with it.

Irvine and Mallory, who died on the ill-fated 1924 Expedition always found Kendal Mint Cake their favourite sweet, and Dr. Somervell said that Mallory, given the chance, would have eaten the lot!

Mint Cake is the ideal food for extreme sports and activities, as it quickly restores energy and doesn't cause thirst.

Empty tins of Kendal Mint Cake, advertising Wiper's of Entry Lane, were found in the trenches of the first World War and one is on display in the Museum at Ypres.

Hillary and Tensing

Kendal Mint Cake's greatest moment of fame came in 1953, when Hillary and Tensing conquered Everest in time for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Afterwards, their remarks were printed on mint cake wrappers: "We sat on the snow and looked at the country far below us ….. we nibbled Kendal Mint Cake." "It was easily the most popular item of our high altitude ration - our only criticism was that we did not have enough of it."

Sir Chris Bonnington

Sir Chris Bonnington took Kendal Mint Cake on his 1975 Everest Expedition, and it is considered essential for the British Olympic Teams and for any dedicated athlete and explorer.

Harry Wiper of the Wiper Mint Cake Family

Robert Wiper handed the business on to his son, Harry, who continued to follow the original recipe and method of production that Joseph Wiper used over 100 years before.

The Production of Mint Cake

Mint cake mixture is first boiled in copper pans.

The Secrets of Mint Cake

After boiling the Mint Cake mixture is poured by hand into the moulds.

The secret of Mint Cake lies in the mix of ingredients to give a blend of textures, half solid and half granular that tastes 'creamy' when eaten, and in the skill of the sugar-boiler who has to know the right moment to pour the liquid into the moulds.

Quiggin’s Mint Cake Advert

Wiper's were the earliest producers of Mint Cake, but other firms followed.

Quiggin's had been making confectionery since 1840, calling themselves 'Practical Sugar Boilers and Confectioners,' and were famous for their 'Mona Cough Drops' for cold and frosty weather.

Quiggin’s Shop in Stricklandgate

Quiggin's shop opened in Allhallows Lane, Kendal in the early 1900s, and had a toffee shop in Stricklandgate near the Public Library, which has since been demolished for road widening.

Quiggin's introduced chocolate covered Mint Cake which has proved very popular.

Wilson’s Sweet Shop

Mr J. E. Wilson began production in 1913 and Wilson's is still in business and well known for its novelty sweets and Mint Cake.

Romney's set up in 1937 and they took over Wiper's when Harry Wiper retired in 1988. His Mint Cake works on Entry Lane is now a private house.

So after more than 150 Years, Kendal Mint Cake is as popular as ever, for walkers, explorers, athletes and everyone who enjoys a pleasant fresh sweet.

It tastes the best when found at the bottom of a rucksack after a long climb on a cold wet day to the summit - and then the food of the gods would be no match for it.