A couple who met while making chocolate have shared their recipe to a long-lasting marriage as they prepare to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary.
John, 83, and Phyllis, 87, met working on the Toblerone line at the Keiller sweetie factory in Dundee where Phyllis worked on the chocolate moulds and John was an almond crusher.
Their eyes met across the production line and they fell in love, aged just 18 and 22, and have never looked back since.
© Supplied by Johnny Nicoll
The pair will now be celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary on Hogmanay.
John said: “We met in Keiller’s chocolate factory – I was mixing up ingredients for Toblerone and my wife got them out of the moulds.
“I used to go and help her and we took it from there.
“I knew straight away, even though I was only a teen at the time and she was four years older.
“We were married on Hogmanay in 1955 and we had a reception in a hotel on the Perth Road, but I can’t remember the name of it now.
© Supplied by Johnny Nicoll
“I was actually called up for national service and I was doing 10 weeks of training in the army and I got special leave to go home and get married, which was good.
“We have had a good life and we have a son and daughter and a few grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“Our family really look after us, especially now with the virus.”
John and Phyllis Nicoll have two children called Carol and Johnny, five grandchildren called Nicola, Karen, Holly, Paul and Rose, and six great-grandchildren called Meghan, Lucas, Parker, Grayson, Amelia and Nathan.
© Supplied by Johnny Nicoll
However, they said the key to a long-lasting marriage is to stay true to one another.
He added: “Be true to each other and share everything together, it is important you don’t hold anything back from each other.
“And when children come on the scene, there is nothing better than bringing them up and giving them good principles.
© Supplied by Johnny Nicoll
“We always got on together and we share everything.
“Nowadays we like to go out for weekend drives to the local towns like Arbroath and Forfar, but not so much now obviously.
“We were planning to go out for a meal to celebrate our anniversary but all the restaurants are closed now so we having nothing planned for this year.
“But we are together quite a lot and I really appreciate Phyllis, she has looked after me all these years and I do my best to look after her.”
© Gareth Jennings/DCT Media
Their son Johnny paid tribute to them as not just his mum and dad, but his best friends.
He said: “They have a really active mindset given their age, and they love their holidays.
“They are a fantastic couple and I am proud to call them my mum and dad.
© Supplied by Johnny Nicoll
“Dad took me to my first Dundee United game in 1969 and we still go to the football every chance we get.
“We are more than just father and son, we are best friends as well.
“And mum loves to do family history and it is amazing what she has discovered in our own family tree – we are linked to JM Barrie and I love telling the kids we are related to Peter Pan.”
© Gareth Jennings/DCT Media
