Focus Features Is Selling a $36 'Boiled Potatoes' Candle to Celebrate “Pride & Prejudice”'s 20th Anniversary
The eccentric candle references a beloved line uttered by Tom Hollander's Mr. Collins
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'What Excellent Boiled Potatoes' candle (left); Keira Knightley in 2005's 'Pride & Prejudice' (right)Keira Knightley’s Pride & Prejudice is turning 20, and there’s now a very fragrant way to celebrate.
On Jan. 29, Focus Features and Mise en Scènt — who makes candles inspired by movies — announced a unique collaboration. They released a candle called “What Excellent Boiled Potatoes,” a reference to one of the most iconic — and memed — lines in the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, spoken by Tom Hollander’s Mr. Collins.
While trying to impress the Bennet family, Mr. Collins (who hopes to marry one of them) awkwardly says, “What a superbly featured room and what excellent boiled potatoes. It’s been many years since I’ve had such an exemplary vegetable.”
Mise en Scènt wrote on Instagram of the candle, “In partnership with @focusfeatures, we’ve captured the essence of one of Pride & Prejudice’s most iconic scenes—yes, this candle truly smells like boiled potatoes. Celebrate 20 years of longing glances, rainy confessions, and perfectly seasoned side dishes!”
The candle, which costs $36, is available online at the NBC Store. As for what “the scent of excellent boiled potatoes” might entail in candle form, both Focus Features and Mise en Scènt don’t provide any more details.
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Tom Hollander (left) and Keira Knightley in 'Pride & Prejudice' in 2005The 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, directed by Joe Wright, was released in November of that year. Knightley, 39, starred as heroine Elizabeth Bennet and received an Oscar nomination for her performance. Succession star Matthew Macfadyen played Mr. Darcy. The cast — which included both actors who were already legends as well as those who’ve become stars in the years since — also boasted Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Judi Dench, Carey Mulligan, Talulah Riley, Rupert Friend, Brenda Blethyn and the late Donald Sutherland. The film grossed more than $120 million worldwide and has become a classic for romance lovers everywhere.
Related: Matthew Macfadyen 'Felt a Bit Miscast' as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice: 'I'm Not Dishy Enough'
If Pride & Prejudice fans are interested in less eccentric merch, the NBC store also has more typical offerings for the film’s milestone, including an enamel pin that honors Mr. Darcy’s hand flex, a floral tote bag and a crop top honoring Charlotte Lucas’ “no money, no prospects” speech. Mise en Scènt also made matching Elizabeth and Darcy candles with, presumably, more traditional scents.
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Matthew Macfadyen (left) and Keira Knightley in 'Pride & Prejudice' in 2005Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Hollander, 57, said in a 2024 interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers that people often mention the potatoes line to him when he meets them. “I had a line about potatoes — something about ‘these excellent boiled potatoes’ ... I don’t even remember saying it," the White Lotus star confessed. Hollander also starred with Knightley in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
Coincidentally, the BBC Pride & Prejudice miniseries, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, was released in 1995 and will turn 30 this September. Austen’s novel, meanwhile, turns 212 and remains as beloved as ever.
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