IT is now one of the world’s biggest selling chocolate bars – but a York man revealed today how KitKat might not exist if it was not for his Uncle Tom.

Peter Stanhope says he has discovered that his mother’s elder brother, Thomas Thompson, persuaded Rowntree directors to give the product another chance when they were considering abandoning it in the 1930s.

He said there had long been a family legend about Uncle Tom having “invented KitKat”, but he had always doubted it.

“But now I have to apologise to him, although he passed away many years ago. If it had not been for him we would not now be able to ‘Have a break – have a KitKat.

Mr Stanhope, 71, of Haxby, said he had recently carried out research at the University of York Borthwick Institute, which showed Thomas really had been instrumental in keeping the Rowntrees Chocolate Crisp going, from which eventually arose the global success of KitKat.

He said Thomas had been born to a poor family near Skeldergate but decided to “better himself” and got a job at Rowntree, where he worked hard to improve his position over the years.

“Thomas worked in Cream Manufacturing Experimental – later to be known as Product Development – where he used the experience that he had gained in Time Study Sales Department, of which he was a founder member, to estimate the probable future outputs for lines which were then in their very early stages and enabled very accurate assessments of costs and value to be made,” he said.

“It seems, from other Rowntree company writings I have read, that the directors were not at all sure in the early stages of the future success of their ‘Rowntrees Chocolate Crisp’ new line and were ready to abandon it.

“It was my Uncle Tom who did the research into manufacturing costs set against his predictions of future sales potential that finally persuaded the board to give it a second chance and, out of the ashes of ‘Chocolate Crisp’ arose the successes of ‘KitKat’, which is now renowned and enjoyed around the world.”

• Mr Stanhope is one of a number of readers to contact The Press since we reported last week that KitKat is celebrating its 75th anniversary this autumn. Other readers’ recollections and revelations will be reported later.

If you have a KitKat story, email stephen.lewis@thepress.co.uk or mike.laycock@thepress.co.uk or phone 01904 567132.