Bachelors Foods

[sweetdexter 10]

over here in the Great White North we had Batchelors quick soak peas,(Mushy Peas) and tourtière Xmas Eve dinner,yummy!

[gomgeg 10]

My mum worked there for about 30yrs.Her name is Ivy Fowler,think she worked in the cannery most of the time.Her best pal was Irene Beresford.

My mother worked in the canning department for a while, when they were doing soft fruit like strawberrys she told us the saying was, 'eat what you can and can what you can't'.

[REUBEN 123 10]

My mum worked there for about 30yrs.Her name is Ivy Fowler,think she worked in the cannery most of the time.Her best pal was Irene Beresford.

 

Did your mum live on the wybourn?

[KirkP 10]

I have a friend who worked in Batchelors DP a bit before your time, he left in '74.

He now lives in California but asked me to post a few names he remembered- Marjorie Hance, Barbara (can't remember her surname but she looked after tapes and discs and was married to a police officer) Lynne Jeffcock, Beverley (can't remember surname) Paul Bownes, John Hadfield, Mike Hawley, Willie Wombell, Mick Brown, Sheila Evans, John Wright.

 

Also, he's pointed out that there used to be pictures of the Batchelors lab kitchen on the Alamy website.

 

 

I recall Marjorie she was sat just in front of Maurice, Sylvia and Colin. I do recall Mike Hawley, John Wright and Bill Wombwell.

[EdmundH 10]

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Edited January 29, 2018 by EdmundH

[jaffa1 10]

Was it Bachelors who made the dried surprise peas? You bought them dried in a packet and put them in the pan to simmer and came out as very small and very sweet cooked peas.

I only thought about them recently as I have stayed in two hotels which seemed to have these on and also at a bar meal. I'm just wondering if they've made a comeback. Surprise peas, I loved them.

[KirkP 10]

I vaguely recall the kitchen on the way to Data Processing. They used to cook the meals there and have photo shoots for the advertising. Think one of the ladies was called Jane.

In DP Maurice and Maureen married but later divorced I also believe Sylvia and Colin married but no idea if any of them are still around. Maurice ran a pub in Sheffield many years later.

[Person6 10]

I see reference to Harry Ratheram on this thread. He worked the computer department. I would like to contact members of Harry's family to check on a story he told me way back in the 70's. I understand his son also worked at Bachelor's too.

My wife's grandparents lived on the same road as Harry and that is how I came into contact with him.

 

I have been commissioned to do some illustrations for a book on some of the more obscure episodes in the recent (last 100 years) past of Sheffield and one of these overlaps with something Harry told me about. It happened to him when he was on leave from military service in the second world war and I am trying to verify details.

[KirkP 10]

Nothing to do with regard to his battledress uniform having bullet holes in it by any chance?

 

Edited January 31, 2019 by KirkP
Mistake

[Person6 10]

1 hour ago, KirkP said:

Nothing to do with regard to his battledress uniform having bullet holes in it by any chance?

 

Ha! No, I've been told about that story though.

I would like to verify something much less dramatic but still interesting.

Edited January 31, 2019 by Person6
typo

[Elph 0]

On 26/06/2017 at 21:30, jaffa1 said:

Was it Bachelors who made the dried surprise peas? You bought them dried in a packet and put them in the pan to simmer and came out as very small and very sweet cooked peas.

I only thought about them recently as I have stayed in two hotels which seemed to have these on and also at a bar meal. I'm just wondering if they've made a comeback. Surprise peas, I loved them.

Bachelors  did make Surprise peas. I worked there summer of 1970 or 71 for 6 months on quality control, taking fresh picked peas in at the top of the site, checking loads on a "tenderometer". Washed down to blanching, then dipping in sugar solutions & drying. Very hot work in the drying areas. Previous post review salt tablets &copious quantity  of weak squash.

Can't remember any names. Remember being ticked off for changing fuse in plug in the lab, without calling for an electrician - job demarcation! Also worked in the cannery - mushy peas & butter beans.

[KirkP 10]

On 31/01/2019 at 11:43, Person6 said:

Ha! No, I've been told about that story though.

I would like to verify something much less dramatic but still interesting.

Did you manage to make contact and an answer to your question?