Violet creams are one of those flavours people assume is a modern novelty, when it's actually one of the oldest floral flavours in British confectionery - a Victorian favourite that has quietly stayed in production ever since.
A Victorian London speciality
Charbonnel et Walker, founded in London in the 1870s and often described as Britain's first luxury chocolatier, is one of the best-documented names behind the format. Its rose and violet fondant creams - a soft fondant centre infused with attar of violets (the essential oil pressed from the petals) and enrobed in chocolate - date back to the company's earliest Victorian-era range, reportedly made in homage to the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII.
Chocolate cream vs pressed tablet
It's worth separating two different British sweets that share the same flavour. A violet cream is a chocolate: a soft fondant centre under a chocolate shell. Parma Violets, launched by Swizzels in 1946, are a completely different format - a hard, pressed sugar tablet with no chocolate at all, built on the same violet flavouring principle used in aniseed sweets traditionally eaten after a spicy meal in India.
Why it can taste 'soapy'
Violet flavouring comes from ionone compounds, which are also widely used in perfumery. That's not a flaw in the recipe - it's the same chemistry that makes violets smell floral in the first place, and it's why a flavour some people find delicately floral reads as 'soapy' or 'perfumed' to others.
What we actually stock right now
We don't currently stock a chocolate violet cream. If it's the violet flavour itself you're after, we carry it in pressed-sweet form: Swizzels Original Parma Violets 3kg and Swizzels Giant Parma Violets 40g — Case of 24, both in stock now within our wider Swizzels range.
Frequently asked questions
Is a violet cream a type of chocolate or a boiled sweet?
Traditionally a chocolate - a fondant centre flavoured with violet, under a chocolate shell. Parma Violets are the unrelated pressed-tablet version of the flavour.
Who made violet creams popular?
Charbonnel et Walker, a London chocolatier founded in the 1870s, with rose and violet fondant creams dating back to its early Victorian range.
Why do some people say violet flavouring tastes soapy?
It comes from ionone compounds also used in perfumery - the same molecules that make violets smell floral can read as soapy to an unexpecting palate.
Does Supreme Sweets stock violet creams?
Not currently. We stock the violet flavour as Swizzels Parma Violets, in the original 3kg bag and the Giant 40g multipack.