Lyle's Golden Syrup is a staple of kitchen cupboards up and down these fair British Isles but there's one thing you may not have noticed about it.
Have a look at the lion...
He does not look well, does he?
In fact he's dead and being feasted upon by bees.
Obviously this is not the most appetising of images so why on Earth would it grace a tin of the sugary, sticky goodness?
Over to Lyle's for a few words on their founder, Abram Lyle...
Lyle had strong religious beliefs, which is why the tin’s famous logo depicts strongman Samson’s ‘lion and bees’ from the Bible’s Old Testament, registered as Lyle’s trademark. ‘Out of the strong came forth sweetness’, as the quote goes; where bees produce honey inside the lion’s carcass, rich syrup pours from the well-loved tin… And the logo and design remain unchanged to this day (along with the delicious contents, of course).
So there you go...