Wagon Wheels

{{about|the snack food|the 1934 film|Wagon Wheels (film)|the song|Wagon Wheels (song)}}

{{Infobox prepared food

| name = Wagon Wheels

| image = Wagon_Wheel.JPG

| caption = Wagon Wheel

| alternate_name =

| country = Australia, Canada, United Kingdom

| region =

| creator = Arnott's Biscuits, Burton's Foods

| course =

| type = Snack food

| year = {{start date and age|1948}}

| served =

| main_ingredient = Marshmallow, chocolate-flavoured coating

| variations = {{hlist|Jammie|Toffee|Double Choc|Caramel|Banoffee|Orange}}

| calories =

| other =

}}

Wagon Wheels are a sweet snack food sold in the United Kingdom as well as other Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India. They are also sold in Ireland. They consist of two biscuits that form a sandwich with a marshmallow filling, and they are covered with a chocolate-flavoured coating.

Wagon Wheels were invented by William Peschardt, who sold the patent to Garry Weston, son of W. Garfield Weston. Garry Weston worked for his father's business in Australia before taking over his family's business in Sheffield, England. He placed two Marie biscuits around a marshmallow filling and covered it with chocolate. They were introduced in 1948.{{cite web|url=https://www.biscuitpeople.com/magazine/post/wagon-wheels|title=Wagon wheels|date=2017-10-06|website=Biscuit people|access-date=2020-03-28|archive-date=10 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110114808/https://www.biscuitpeople.com/magazine/post/wagon-wheels|url-status=live}} The name (originally "Weston Wagon Wheels") relates to the shape of the biscuits and capitalised on the Wild West, which was popular in mass media at the time.

Production and size

In Australia, Wagon Wheels are now produced by Arnott's Biscuits. George Weston Foods Limited sold the brand to Arnott's in August 2003.{{cite web|url=http://www.gwf.com.au/media/gwfsellschocbiscuits_290803.htm|title=GWF Media Announcement 29 August 2006|access-date=1 November 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211195604/http://www.gwf.com.au/media/gwfsellschocbiscuits_290803.htm|archive-date=11 December 2006|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

In the United Kingdom Wagon Wheels are produced and distributed by Burton's Foods who separated from the Weston family connection when they were sold out of Associated British Foods in 2000.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/4470709/Wagon-Wheels-roll-west-as-ABF-sells-Burtons.html |title=Wagon Wheels roll west as ABF sells Burton's |newspaper=Daily Telegraph |date=31 Oct 2000 |author=Benjamin Wootliff |access-date=3 April 2018 |archive-date=17 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417151513/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/4470709/Wagon-Wheels-roll-west-as-ABF-sells-Burtons.html |url-status=live }} The original factory which produced the biscuit was in Slough but during the early 1980s production was transferred to an updated and modern factory in Llantarnam in South Wales.{{cite web| title =Wagon Wheels| work =practicallyedible.com | date =4 September 2010| url =http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/wagonwheels| access-date =2 February 2011| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100208053856/http://practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/wagonwheels| archive-date =8 February 2010| df =dmy-all}}

Weston had been producing biscuits on the Slough site since 1934{{cite web

| title = 1900–1945

| work = Slough History

| url = http://www.slough.info/slough/s02/s02his1900.html

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130412233913/http://www.slough.info/slough/s02/s02his1900.html

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = 12 April 2013

| access-date = 2 February 2011

}}

and the Llantarnam site since 1938.{{cite web

| title = Cwmbran: Llantarnam – The Biscuit Factory and Brickworks

| work = Industrial Monmouthshire – The Leftovers

| publisher = Phil Jenkins

| url = http://industrialgwent.co.uk/cwmbran.htm

| access-date = 2 February 2011

| archive-date = 13 September 2010

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100913220215/http://industrialgwent.co.uk/cwmbran.htm

| url-status = live

}}

In Canada, Wagon Wheels were originally produced by McCormick's, however they are now under the Dare Foods Limited name. They come in Original, Fudge, Choco Cherry, and Raspberry flavours.{{citation needed|date=February 2011}}

File:Wagon wheel (cropped).jpg

There have been many debates amongst fans of the biscuit about its size. Wagon Wheels have supposedly shrunk in size over time, but Burton's Foods Ltd has denied this.{{cite news |last1=Sandhu |first1=Serina |title=Great British Bake Off 2018: Why Wagon Wheels are called Wagon Wheels (and other interesting facts) |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/wagon-wheels-biscuit-facts-great-british-bake-off-2018-188850 |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=i News |date=23 August 2018 |archive-date=10 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010042816/https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/wagon-wheels-biscuit-facts-great-british-bake-off-2018-188850 |url-status=live }} It has been suggested that the supposed shrinkage is due to an adult's childhood memory of eating a Wagon Wheel held in a much smaller hand; this argument is perhaps moot, as it does not explain why the modern Wagon Wheel appears to be fatter than the original. Furthermore, in Australia, Arnott's has stated that tray packs of Wagon Wheels were in fact 'Mini Wagon Wheels' and have re-released the original 48g Wagon Wheels.{{cite web|url=http://www.arnotts.com.au/products/WagonWheels.aspx|title=Arnotts Wagon Wheels|access-date=12 July 2007|archive-date=31 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831031621/http://www.arnotts.com.au/products/WagonWheels.aspx|url-status=live}}

{{as of|2006}} the diameter of the Australian version is measured at {{cvt|88|mm}} which is {{cvt|14|mm}} larger than the UK version, while the UK Wagon Wheel is notably thicker by {{cvt|4|mm}}.

In popular culture

Wagon Wheels are thrown into the audience by Berwick Kaler during the annual York Theatre Royal pantomime.{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/old-mother-goose-york-theatre-royal-review-berwick-kaler-reunites-with-david-leonard-for-this-9932724.html | last=Brown | first=Jonathan | title=Old Mother Goose, York Theatre Royal, review | date=18 December 2014 | access-date=24 February 2020 | archive-date=30 June 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630024835/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/old-mother-goose-york-theatre-royal-review-berwick-kaler-reunites-with-david-leonard-for-this-9932724.html | url-status=live }}

Wagon Wheels were chosen by Judge Paul Hollywood as the technical challenge for the first episode in series 9 of The Great British Bake Off.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/live/2018/aug/28/great-british-bake-off-2018-episode-one-live|title=The Great British Bake Off 2018: episode one – as it happened|date=28 August 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=4 September 2018|archive-date=4 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904111856/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/live/2018/aug/28/great-british-bake-off-2018-episode-one-live|url-status=live}}

References

External links

[https://www.arnotts.com/products/wagon-wheels/ Australian Wagon Wheels Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204175058/https://www.arnotts.com/products/wagon-wheels/ |date=4 December 2019 }}
[http://www.burtonsbiscuits.com/our-brands/wagon-wheels/ Burtons Foods Wagon Wheels Website]
[https://www.darefoods.com/ca_en/brand/wagon-wheels/20/ Dare Foods Wagon Wheels Website]

Category:Weston family

Category:Biscuit brands

Category:Products introduced in 1948

Category:Chocolate-covered foods

Category:Sandwich cookies

Wagon Wheels

Production and size

In popular culture

See also

References

External links