Fruitcake is a dish renowned for its longevity, but waiting 100 years to eat one is probably pushing it. It wasn’t intentional of course – the 106-year-old fruitcake that has just been discovered by conservationists in Antarctica was a forgotten remnant of a bygone exploration party to the remote region.

The group stumbled upon the ice-covered fruitcake they believe belonged to British explorer Robert Falcon Scott in Antarctica’s oldest building. The conservation manager says that the cake was in “excellent condition” and smelled “almost” edible, which is impressive considering its age. It was among 1500 artefacts taken from two huts by a team that had been exploring the site since May 2016.

“Finding such a perfectly preserved fruitcake among them was quite a surprise,” says program manager for artefacts at the trust Lizzie Meek. But perhaps more surprising was the great condition in which the cake was found. “There was a very, very slight rancid butter smell to it, but other than that, the cake looked and smelled edible,” she says. “There is no doubt the extreme cold in Antarctica has assisted its preservation,” she added.

The dessert was found wrapped in paper and its original tin-plated tin. It is believed to have been brought to Antarctica by Robert (who was a documented fan of the fruitcake) as a part of the Cape Adare-based Northern Party of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition (1910-13).