A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND TO THE STORY OF MANX KNOBS…

Manx Knobs were a product ingeniously thought up by our Victorian / Edwardian forbears engaged in the souvenir rock business, which served the hundreds of thousands of visitors who spent summer holidays on the Isle of Man in those days.
With the steady decline of the tourist industry on the Island over the years, the number of hotels reduced, while the number of traditional rock makers dwindled to extinction. We once considered engaging in manufacture ourselves, but recognised that time-honoured methods of sugar-boiling needed to produce traditional knobs require special traditional equipment and very special skills. We did not want to take the short cut and buy a modern day confectionery “kettle” , then import powdered ready-mix, add water and call it “locally made”  ( a bit like calling Polyfilla "Manx" because it was mixed with water here! )  So instead we searched for a realistic alternative. Continuity of supply was essential to prevent this nostalgic souvenir confection going the way of the Great Auk .  And we needed a source as close to the Island as was possible.

Eventually  - and in the true North of England – we were fortunate to discover a British family of confectioners who have been in business for over a hundred years. They are highly skilled in the use of traditional “Coppers” for sugar-boiling and employ all the time-honoured techniques essential to create the taste and texture of Manx Knobs of olden days.  We greatly value their experience, high standards and consistency in producing a top quality product for us, which we believe outshines anything made anywhere else.  For us it matters less WHERE these are made – and much more how they are made.  For quality we seek the best confectioners, not the nearest, not the cheapest.

…And thus for a decade, we managed to keep traditionally-made Manx Knobs alive – and definitely kicking! We believe Casement's Knobs are the best looking, best tasting and best quality on the market - and they are traditionally made.
( Author adds:  as it happens, the best and tastiest Eccles Cake I ever had was made in Southhampton. And the best Yorkshire Pudding I ever tasted was made by a Welsh chef in Cardiff.    But I digress... )

Our range is conceived and developed in Port Erin, ably assisted by our good friends the printers far away in Port St Mary. All secondary packing is undertaken by ourselves here on the Island, with staff who can trace their Manx ancestry back for generations.

Let’s be clear about this…Casement’s products are designed for Grown Ups, Students of the University of Life and Readers of fine print.  Indispensable gifts for those seeking to make an impression and raise a smile, they make a refreshing and engaging alternative to boring tourist tat. They are only available from a few selected outlets on the Island, or direct from The Port Erin Gaslight & Aerated Waters Company - and this is the very place!