Mint sweets are one of the oldest categories in British confectionery, and one of the most confusing to shop for — imperial, humbug and glacier mint all describe genuinely different things, even though they get used interchangeably. Here's what each one actually is, where it came from, and what we stock.
Mint Imperials
A mint imperial is a small, hard, white, sugar-panned peppermint sweet with a slightly domed shape and no filling — just sugar and peppermint, built up in layers the way boiled-sweet manufacturers have done for centuries. The term "mint imperial" specifically only turns up in print from the 1920s onward, even though mint sweets themselves go back further, into the 18th and 19th centuries once sugar became cheap enough for everyday confectionery.
We stock Bonds Mint Imperials Jar 2.5kg — a peppermint hard sugar sweet made with no artificial colours or flavours, suitable for vegetarians.
Mint Humbugs
A humbug is a different thing entirely: a boiled sweet, traditionally striped black and white, built around a toffee centre with a strong mint flavour running through it. Records of humbugs go back to the 1820s in the north of England, and the sweet became genuinely widespread during the Victorian era, when confectioners in the region moved from small-scale, artisanal batches into proper factory production. If you're after what some searches call a "mint toffee," the humbug is the closest real match in a traditional English sweet shop — it's mint-flavoured with a toffee centre, even though it isn't marketed under that name. For a closer side-by-side of the two, see our dedicated comparison: Mint Imperials vs Mint Humbugs.
We stock Bonds Mint Humbugs 120g and Dobsons Mint Humbugs Jar 2.72kg for buying at bulk-jar scale.
Fox's Glacier Mints & Glacier Fruits
Glacier Mints are a specific brand rather than a generic style — they were first made in 1918 by Fox's Confectionery in Leicester, in the kitchen of the Fox family home on Aylestone Road. The original name was Acme Clear Mint Fingers, changed to Glacier Mints in 1919 on the advice of Eric Fox's wife. The brand's polar bear mascot, Peppy, arrived a few years later in 1922 and has stayed on the wrapper ever since.
We stock Fox's Glacier Mints 100g, the classic clear boiled mint, and Fox's Glacier Fruits 100g — the same boiled-sweet technique from the same brand, but flavoured with fruit rather than mint, for anyone who wants the format without the peppermint. Both sit within our wider Fox's Mints collection.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a mint imperial and a glacier mint?
Both are hard, round, sugar-panned peppermint sweets, but Glacier Mints is specifically the Fox's brand name, dating to 1918. Mint imperial is the generic term for the same style of sweet.
Are mint humbugs the same as mint imperials?
No — a mint imperial is plain peppermint all the way through, while a humbug has a toffee centre with a mint flavour running through it, traditionally in a striped sweet.
What are Fox's Glacier Fruits?
The fruit-flavoured sibling to Fox's Glacier Mints, made by the same brand using the same boiled-sweet method, but with fruit flavouring instead of mint.
When were Fox's Glacier Mints first made?
1918, by Fox's Confectionery in Leicester. They were originally called Acme Clear Mint Fingers before being renamed Glacier Mints in 1919.