Peek Freans
Encyclopedia
Peek Frean is a brand of biscuit
s and related confectionery. The brand is owned in the UK by United Biscuits
, although the Peek Frean name is no longer used in the UK. In the US and Canada the brand is owned by Kraft Foods
.
, London
, England
by James Peek and George Hender Frean. In 1861, the company started exporting biscuits to Australia
and later to other overseas destinations. They moved to a larger plant in Bermondsey
in 1866 where they continued baking until the brand was discontinued in 1989.
In 1861, they introduced the Garibaldi biscuit
. In 1910, the company introduced their first cream sandwich biscuit, now known as a Bourbon biscuit
, and in 1924 they established their first factory outside the UK, in Dum Dum
, India
.
In 1906, the Peak Frean and Co factory in Bermondsey was the subject of one of the earliest documentary films shot by Cricks and Sharp.
In 1921, Peek Frean entered into an amalgamation agreement with rival biscuit firm Huntley and Palmers, resulting in the creation of a holding company, Associated Biscuit Manufacturers Ltd. However, both biscuit firms retained their own brands and premises.
1949 saw the establishment of their first bakery in Canada
. The bakery, located on Bermondsey Road in East York, Ontario
, is still in production.
In Pakistan
, Peek Freans products are manufactured and marketed under the company English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM), officially established as a joint venture of Peek Freans' operations in the country since 1965.
During the course of its life, the firm's brand name changed from Peek, Frean and Co to Peek Frean (in the early twentieth century) and then to Peek Freans (by the 1970s, the name having been used in the possessive sense on products for many years).
In late 2011 a Tinned Christmass pudding was discovered at the back of a kitchen cupboard in Poole Dorset and was donated to the museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. It was a 'Peek, Frean & Co's Teetotal Plum Pudding - London, High Class Ingredients Only' from 1900's and was one of 1000 sent to the troops during the Boer war. It was sent by Agnes 'Aggie' Weston - superintendent of the Royal Naval Temperance Society hence it being teetotal.
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
s and related confectionery. The brand is owned in the UK by United Biscuits
United Biscuits
__FORCETOC__United Biscuits is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of the BN biscuits, McVitie's biscuits, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, The Real McCoy's crisps, Phileas Fogg snacks, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets...
, although the Peek Frean name is no longer used in the UK. In the US and Canada the brand is owned by Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
.
History
Peek, Frean and Co was established in 1857 in BermondseyBermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by James Peek and George Hender Frean. In 1861, the company started exporting biscuits to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and later to other overseas destinations. They moved to a larger plant in Bermondsey
Bermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
in 1866 where they continued baking until the brand was discontinued in 1989.
In 1861, they introduced the Garibaldi biscuit
Garibaldi biscuit
The Garibaldi biscuit consists of currants squashed between two thin, oblong biscuits - a currant sandwich. In this recipe, it has elements in common with the Eccles cake....
. In 1910, the company introduced their first cream sandwich biscuit, now known as a Bourbon biscuit
Bourbon biscuit
The Bourbon biscuit is a sandwich biscuit consisting of two thin oblong dark chocolate biscuits with a chocolate fondant filling.- Overview :...
, and in 1924 they established their first factory outside the UK, in Dum Dum
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a neighbourhood in North-west Kolkata and the location of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, formerly Dum Dum Airport.Dum Dum is a well known place in greater Kolkata...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
In 1906, the Peak Frean and Co factory in Bermondsey was the subject of one of the earliest documentary films shot by Cricks and Sharp.
In 1921, Peek Frean entered into an amalgamation agreement with rival biscuit firm Huntley and Palmers, resulting in the creation of a holding company, Associated Biscuit Manufacturers Ltd. However, both biscuit firms retained their own brands and premises.
1949 saw the establishment of their first bakery in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The bakery, located on Bermondsey Road in East York, Ontario
East York, Ontario
East York is a former municipality within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was a semi-autonomous borough within the overall municipality of Metropolitan Toronto before East York, North York, York, Scarborough, Etobicoke and Toronto were amalgamated into the new "megacity" of Toronto...
, is still in production.
In Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Peek Freans products are manufactured and marketed under the company English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM), officially established as a joint venture of Peek Freans' operations in the country since 1965.
During the course of its life, the firm's brand name changed from Peek, Frean and Co to Peek Frean (in the early twentieth century) and then to Peek Freans (by the 1970s, the name having been used in the possessive sense on products for many years).
In late 2011 a Tinned Christmass pudding was discovered at the back of a kitchen cupboard in Poole Dorset and was donated to the museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. It was a 'Peek, Frean & Co's Teetotal Plum Pudding - London, High Class Ingredients Only' from 1900's and was one of 1000 sent to the troops during the Boer war. It was sent by Agnes 'Aggie' Weston - superintendent of the Royal Naval Temperance Society hence it being teetotal.
External links
- http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/711535/index.html
- Peek Freans - Kraft Foods
- Peek Freans history
- Southwark Council Blue Plaques 2005
- Records of Peek Frean - University of Reading
- Peak Frean Permanent Exhibition - The Pumphouse Educational Museum - Rotherhithe
- A peek at Peek Freans by Will Pavia