Fife baker uncovers great-grandfather’s marzipan fruits made in 1970 at Fisher & Donaldson

By Andy Morton

February 17 2023, 11:45am

Chloe Milne was looking through old boxes when she found the half-century old fruits. Image: Chloe Milne

A 53-year-old pack of marzipan fruits that still look good enough to eat has been unearthed in Fife – by the great-granddaughter of the man that baked them.

Chloe Milne, co-director of long-running family bakery Fisher & Donaldson in Cupar, made the shock discovery while rummaging through old boxes.

The marzipan fruits date back to 1970 and were likely made for sale in the old Fisher & Donaldson shop on the Crossgate.

The marzipan fruits are still in their original packaging. Image: Chloe Milne

But the biggest shock for Chloe, 34, was realising they were made by her great-grandfather, local baker and confectioner Alexander Milne.

“He was well-known in the bakery world for making marzipan fruits that look just like real fruit,” says Chloe, who admits that it was “cool” to finally see his handiwork up close.

“He could make these amazing fruits and flowers, that was his thing.”

Alexander Milne, right, presents some of his famous marzipan flowers in this undated photo. Image: Fisher & Donaldson

After discovering the box of fruits, which was part of a clear out of the former Fisher & Donaldson bakery in Cupar’s town centre, Chloe posted a picture on social media.

Comments flooded in from people remarking that the marzipan fruits still looked edible, even after half a century.

Chloe puts the marzipan’s longevity down to the huge amounts of sugar.

The fruits date back to 1970. Image: Chloe Milne

But though she agrees the fruits have hardly lost their luster down the years, she’s not about to have one with her lunchtime coffee.

“I wouldn’t eat one, but then I’m not a marzipan lover anyway,” says Chloe with a laugh. “I reckon someone brave could try one, but I don’t want to disturb the box.”

What will happen to the marzipan fruits?

Rather than going back on sale, the fruits will go into the Fisher & Donaldson archive, where they will add colour to the 104-year history of the Fife bakers.

It’s the perfect result for Chloe. As a fifth-generation member of the Fisher & Donaldson family, she now has a physical connection to her great-grandfather and his second-generation of the business.

Chloe outside the Fisher & Donaldson shop in Cupar. Image: Chloe Milne

“We’ve seen photographs of old products through the years but to actually have a real one is really interesting,” Chole explains.

Meanwhile, the discovery brought out stories of other Fisher & Donaldson products long past their sell-by-date.

“Someone commented on Facebook saying that they’ve still got their wedding cake from the ‘90s in their loft,” Chloe says. “I think there’s a whole generation out there that have a bit of wedding cake that we’ve made safely stored away.”