Scottish tablet is saved from a sticky end

ONE of the country’s best loved sweets has been saved from a sticky end, thanks to Scotland on Sunday.

Earlier this month we revealed that tablet - Scotland’s national sweetie - was threatened with extinction because one of its key ingredients is no longer to be made in Britain.

Nestl confirmed that its only UK plant making condensed milk was to close and that it would no longer be able to supply to manufacturers the sticky, sweet liquid, which gives tablet its distinctive taste and texture.

But now, following Scotland on Sunday’s intervention, the company - which has a 90% share of the UK market - has pledged to ensure that the makers will continue to get the supplies they need.

Yesterday, Nestl, which had earlier said it was "ceasing supply" to confectionery firms, announced its change of heart.

A spokeswoman for the firm said it was aware of tablet’s heritage, which stretches back hundreds of years, describing it as a "much-loved product".

She added the essential ingredient would be imported from its factory in the Netherlands and sold in bulk quantities through wholesalers and cash and carries. "We want to reassure all the manufacturers that buy our condensed milk from wholesalers and cash and carry outlets that they will still be able to do so," she said.

Last night James Workman, owner of the Highland Truffle Company, paid tribute to Scotland on Sunday’s "terrier-like" approach to uncovering the threat. "Scotland on Sunday has done a great job," he said.

Workman said he would have been forced to stop producing tablet if he could not buy Nestl’s condensed milk from his local wholesaler. "As a small company and with so much competition in the marketplace, this really makes the difference between continuing to produce tablet and stopping doing so," he said.

Nestl decided to close down its factory in Derbyshire in the wake of declining sales of condensed milk in the UK. Over the past three years, sales of the milk have slumped by almost half.

However, following Nestl’s announcement earlier this month, there was panic buying of condensed milk across Scotland. The Safeway supermarket chain said its sales of condensed milk soared by 465% north of the Border.