1872… Cubism is born… As tea is adopted as a national brew, Henry Tate buys the patent to cut sugar into cubes from German Eugen Langen. The one-time grocer builds a sugar refinery in Liverpool and soon becomes a millionaire and philanthropist.

1875… Cadbury lays its first egg… Easter becomes less about the promise of eternal life and a little more about stuffing one’s face with chocolate, when Cadbury moulds its first Easter egg. By 1893 the company has 19 egg lines. Today Britain devours £300m in Easter eggs a year.

1875… Fraudsters face crackdown… Dodgy practices are rife in Victorian grocery. The Sale of Food & Drugs Act is passed to prevent the commonplace adulteration of food with “injurious” ingredients, ranging from the downright dirty (sheep droppings) to the deadly (alum).

1875… Melton’s first mention… The first time ‘Melton Mowbray Pork Pie’ appears in print - in The Grocer, of course. The unlikely mix of pork, aspic and lardy pastry proves tastier than the sum of its parts and a national love affair begins. In 2008 the pie receives PGI status.

1876… Ketchup kicks off… After seven years of selling bottled horseradish, made to his mother’s recipe, Henry Heinz hits upon the idea of ketchup. In the following years the entrepreneur is at the forefront of research into natural preservation techniques and in 1906 he’s the first to launch a ketchup free from artificial preservatives. Today the world gets through more than 650 million bottles of the stuff every year.

1876…Bass logo launches… For just a little red triangle, it’s attracted a lot of attention. The Bass Pale Ale logo is the first trademark to be registered in Britain. Later it’s immortalised in Manet’s painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergère and, according to legend, becomes the favourite tipple of Buffalo Bill and Napoleon Bonaparte. Despite the heritage, current owner AB InBev is trying to sell the brand. But no one has nibbled as yet.

1879… Ritty’s ‘incorruptible cashier’… Tired of losing out to light-fingered staff, ‘dealer in pure whiskies, fine wines and cigars’ James Ritty invents the world’s first cash register ‘Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier’. In 1881 he sells up, and three years on the National Cash Register Company is born.

1879…Nestlé’s growth gathers pace… Henri Nestlé pioneers a breast milk alternative. This is seen as a good thing. After Henri sells out, Nestlé also starts selling condensed milk, before merging with arch-rival Anglo Swiss in 1905 in what is to become the world’s biggest food group.

1879…Saccharin discovered… You wouldn’t expect to find an alternative to sugar in coal tar. But that’s where Constantin Fahlberg stumbles upon saccharin’s benefits and his fortune one day. It’s 550 times sweeter than sugar, calorie-free and stable in extreme temperatures.

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The Grocer's 150 defining moments: the 1860s