Read about Romney's summit of Everest from a 2002 newspaper celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee
"On top of the world... How Kendal Mint Cake helped Hillary to conquer Everest...
Kendal was literally on top of the world on Coronation Day when news broke that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had reached the summit of Mount Everest days before.
The New Zealand beekeeper and his sherpa guide stepped onto the roof of the world at 11:30am on May 29th, 1953, the first climbers ever to conquer the 29,035ft summit.
The pair carried with them Romney's Kendal Mint Cake, supplied to the British expedition free of charge, and they famously nibbled the high-altitude sweet during their 15 minutes on top of the world's highest mountain.
With superb timing, the British public learnt of Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing's triumph on the morning of the coronation, June 2, and Romney's received the exciting news by telegram.
Coronation day revellers swiftly picked up on the Everest theme, and among the topical touches was a float in Crosthwait's procession, featuring John Bull planting the Union Jack on top of Everest.
The expeditions min cake supplies had been specially made in small tablets, sealed in tins and packed for transportation by 12-year-old Shane Barron, who earned extra pocket money for the task. Today he is managing director of Romney's.
'Mint Cake was there, too - Everest Conquerors Had Kendal Product' proclaimed The Westmorland Gazette, recalling how the Ministry of Food had issued to Romney's a special permit for making the 300 two-ounce tablets of Mint Cake 'off the ration'. It was then forwarded for packing along with chocolate, biscuits, sweets and 'other sustaining articles' into the small, high-altitude packs to be carried on the climbers' backs.
A member of the successful expedition later wrote: 'It was easily the most popular item on our high-altitude ration - our only criticism was that we did not have enough of it'.
Shop Romney's Kendal Mint Cake here - https://mintcake.co.uk/collections/mint-cake
