Now, if you grew up in southeast London, and especially if you travelled by train into London Bridge, the chances are you will remember the all-pervading smell of the Peak Frean biscuit factory.
It was a powerful sweet smell, and I guess, for those who lived in the surrounding streets in Bermondsey, a smell you liked, got used to, or just accepted as the price for living beside a biscuit factory.
All of which I was reminded of on Sunday when I listened to Taking the Biscuit: How a long-life ration became the quintessential British comfort food, on radio 4’s The Food Programme.
It was broadcast yesterday and repeated today, and offered up both a history of the biscuit and its place in British eating habits.
Added to which there is a fascinating insight into the workings of the Peak Frean factory.
What I didn’t know was that the presence of that smell and the Peak Frean factory gave Bermondsey the nickname of Biscuit Town.
Leaving me just to reflect that the presence of that smell and the Peak Frean factory gave Bermondsey the nickname of Biscuit Town, which was something I only discovered after reading the history of the firm.**
Picture; Advertisement by Thomas Benjamin Kennington 1891
*Taking the Biscuit: How a long-life ration became the quintessential British comfort food, The Food Programme; Radio 4, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000n4x4
No comments:
Post a Comment