Aunt Bessie
Encyclopedia
Aunt Bessie’s Limited is a UK producer of processed frozen food
products. Its brand portfolio includes Yorkshire pudding
s, a wide range of potato products, meal accompaniments, ready meals, vegetables and desserts.
in 1974. The company's name was taken from The Triton Inn, at Brantingham, then in the same ownership and noted for its Yorkshire Puddings. The company first entered the retail trade in 1995 with frozen Yorkshire puddings.
Three months after the Aunt Bessie's brand was launched, the factory on Trinity Street was burnt down. Jill Halfpenny
featured in television adverts for their Yorkshire puddings. In August 2004, the supermarket division of the William Jackson company, Jacksons Stores based in North Ferriby
, was sold to Sainsbury's for £100m as the company began to focus on food production rather than retail.
In early 2008, sales of their Homestyle mashed potato doubled when they featured in Delia Smith
's How to Cheat at Cooking for use in a shepherd's pie
.
, the business employs over 350 staff and can produce more than 20 million puddings a week. It is situated just north of the A63 in the west of Hull near the Priory Way junction next door to the Insurance Partnership. The main factory is on Freightliner Road in a former Hygena factory near the A63/A1166 junction in Gipsyville.
Aunt Bessie's Ltd is part of the William Jackson Food Group, a food manufacturing business founded in Hull in 1851, and based in Hessle
just off the A63
. It is owned by the Oughtred family. Aunt Bessie's factory and headquarters remain in Hull.
Other main manufacturers of Yorkshire puddings are Greencore
in West Carr and the Real Yorkshire Pudding Company in Thorne.
Frozen food
Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved their game and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows down decomposition by turning water to ice, making it...
products. Its brand portfolio includes Yorkshire pudding
Yorkshire pudding
Yorkshire Pudding is a dish that originated in Yorkshire, England. It is made from batter and usually served with roast meat and gravy.-History:...
s, a wide range of potato products, meal accompaniments, ready meals, vegetables and desserts.
History
Aunt Bessie’s frozen prefabricated Yorkshire puddings were originally created by the company for Butlins Holiday CampsButlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
in 1974. The company's name was taken from The Triton Inn, at Brantingham, then in the same ownership and noted for its Yorkshire Puddings. The company first entered the retail trade in 1995 with frozen Yorkshire puddings.
Three months after the Aunt Bessie's brand was launched, the factory on Trinity Street was burnt down. Jill Halfpenny
Jill Halfpenny
Jill Halfpenny is an English actress.Halfpenny is best known for her roles as Rebecca Hopkins in the British soap opera Coronation Street from 1999–2000, and as Kate Mitchell in rival soap EastEnders, from 2002-2005...
featured in television adverts for their Yorkshire puddings. In August 2004, the supermarket division of the William Jackson company, Jacksons Stores based in North Ferriby
North Ferriby
North Ferriby is a village and civil parish in the Haltemprice area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.-Geography:It is situated on the north bank of the Humber Estuary, approximately to the west of Hull city centre. To the north, atop a hill, lies Swanland via the B1231. South Ferriby is...
, was sold to Sainsbury's for £100m as the company began to focus on food production rather than retail.
In early 2008, sales of their Homestyle mashed potato doubled when they featured in Delia Smith
Delia Smith
Delia Smith CBE is an English cook and television presenter, known for teaching basic cookery skills. She is the UK's best-selling cookery author, with more than 21 million copies sold....
's How to Cheat at Cooking for use in a shepherd's pie
Shepherd's pie
Cottage pie or shepherd's pie is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potato.The term cottage pie is known to have been in use in 1791, when the potato was being introduced as an edible crop affordable for the poor Cottage pie or shepherd's pie is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potato.The term...
.
Structure
Aunt Bessie's is now the world’s largest brand of frozen baked and ready to bake Yorkshire puddings. With factories in HullKingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, the business employs over 350 staff and can produce more than 20 million puddings a week. It is situated just north of the A63 in the west of Hull near the Priory Way junction next door to the Insurance Partnership. The main factory is on Freightliner Road in a former Hygena factory near the A63/A1166 junction in Gipsyville.
Aunt Bessie's Ltd is part of the William Jackson Food Group, a food manufacturing business founded in Hull in 1851, and based in Hessle
Hessle
Hessle is a town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, situated west of Kingston upon Hull city centre. Geographically it is part of a larger urban area which consists of the city of Kingston upon Hull, the town of Hessle and a number of other villages but is not part of the...
just off the A63
A63 road
The A63 is a major road in Yorkshire, England between Leeds and Hull.-Leeds – Howden:The route out to Selby is shadowed by the Leeds-Selby railway....
. It is owned by the Oughtred family. Aunt Bessie's factory and headquarters remain in Hull.
Other main manufacturers of Yorkshire puddings are Greencore
Greencore
Greencore Group plc is a food company in Ireland.It was established by the Irish Government in 1991 to take over Irish Sugar, the nationalised sugar production company. 55% of the group was listed on the Irish Stock Exchange that year, over the years additional placements have led to almost 100%...
in West Carr and the Real Yorkshire Pudding Company in Thorne.
Range of products
- Yorkshire puddings
- Potato products - roast potatoes, chips, mashed potatoMashed potatoMashed potato is made by mashing freshly boiled potatoes with a ricer, fork, potato masher, food mill, or whipping them with a hand beater. Dehydrated and frozen mashed potatoes are available in many places...
, croquettes, bubble and squeakBubble and squeakBubble and squeak is a traditional English dish made with the shallow-fried leftover vegetables from a roast dinner. The main ingredients are potato and cabbage, but carrots, peas, brussels sprouts, and other vegetables can be added... - Vegetable products - cauliflower cheeseCauliflower cheeseCauliflower cheese, sometimes called cauliflower and cheese, is a British dish. It can be eaten as a main course, for lunch or dinner, or as a side dish, commonly accompanying roast meats such as beef or pork....
, mashed carrotCarrotThe carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
and swedeRutabagaThe rutabaga, swede , turnip or yellow turnip is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip; see Triangle of U...
, honey glazed roast parsnips, creamed leeks - Main dishes - toad in the holeToad in the holeToad in the hole is a traditional English dish consisting of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with vegetables and onion gravy....
and beefburgers - Traditional puddings - chocolate roly polyJam Roly-PolyJam Roly-Poly, Dead Man's Arm or Dead Man's Leg is a traditional British dessert probably invented in the early 19th century. It is a flat-rolled suet pudding, which is then spread with jam and rolled up, similar to a Swiss roll. In days past, Jam Roly-Poly was also known as shirt-sleeve pudding,...
, syrup sponge puddingTreacle sponge puddingA treacle sponge pudding is a traditional British dessert dish consisting of a steamed sponge cake with golden syrup cooked on top of it, sometimes also poured over it and often served with hot custard.- External links :* *...
, jam sponge pudding, Bramley apple crumbleCrumbleA crumble is a dish of British and Irish origin that can be made in a sweet or savoury version, depending on ingredients used, although the sweet version is much more common. It also can be traced to American cuisine during the European colonization of the Americas. A sweet variety usually contains...
, lemon meringue pieLemon meringue pieLemon meringue pie is a type of baked pie, usually served for dessert, made with a crust usually made of shortcrust or shortbread pastry, lemon curd filling and a fluffy meringue topping. Lemon meringue pie is typically prepared with a bottom pie crust, but with no upper crust: i.e. the meringue is...
, - Cooking sauces - for casseroles including sausage, chicken, honey & mustard, beef in red wineBeef BourguignonBeef bourguignon or bœuf bourguignon , also called beef Burgundy, and Boeuf à la Bourguignonne, is a well known traditional French recipe....
, and beef in ale - Ready meals - cottage pie
- Savoury additions - sage stuffingStuffingIn cooking, stuffing or filling is an edible substance or mixture, often a starch, used to fill a cavity in another food item...
and dumplingDumplingDumplings are cooked balls of dough. They are based on flour, potatoes or bread, and may include meat, fish, vegetables, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. They may have a filling, or there may be other ingredients mixed into the dough. Dumplings may...
s - Sweet additions - dairy custard
External links
- Aunt Bessie's
- William Jackson
- Regional Food Group for Yorkshire and Humber
- Real Yorkshire Pudding Company