Staffordshire Foods

Custard may be your perfect pud, a winter warmer, a special treat. Or it might make the painful memories of lumpy school custard come rushing back. Whatever.

The point is it's now being made in Staffordshire (yippee) after its former owners Kraft sold it to Premier - who will produce it now at their factory in Eccleshall & Knighton near Stafford.

Ah... memories

Nearly 170 years after this eggless (true) wonder was first produced, Bird's Custard is still being used, with spotted dick (…uuugh!) or on its own.

Many remember the lumps from school dinners and are put off - but why? School dinners were yucky, but the custard, no no no!

Whether original or chocolate flavoured, custard brightened up my school days.

Katie’s Top 5 Custard recipes (yummy)

1. Treacle Sponge and Custard
2. Xmas pud and Custard
3. Egg Custard
4. Apple Pie and Custard
5. Custard Trifle

It doesn’t need to be strained through a colander, nor even served with sponge to make it bearable (though this too is a yummy option).

But in my eyes nothing beats a good treacle sponge smothered in gooey custard. And if there is any custard left at the bottom of the jug I will gladly get my spoon and dig in.
Heaven in a bowl!

New Home

Ecstasy of the custard type means I must extend a Big Yellow Welcome to Bird's - the one name that says to me custard, custard, custard.

For... how many different brands of custard can u name?
Sure, the supermarkets have their own brands, and Premier also have Ambrosia Custard in their range, but the the most popular custard in the country is Bird's.

Bird's is one of the UK's oldest packaged grocery brands and accounts for 45% of the total pints of custard consumed in the UK. A food and drink survey in 2000 found that 99% of customers recognised the Bird's brand.

So, not only is Staffordshire home to oatcakes and marmite but now Bird's Custard too.

Perhaps a marmite-filled oatcake covered in cold custard skin could be our county's next invention. Yum!

Facts

Invented in 1837 by Albert Bird, the custard was made without eggs as his wife was allergic to them. Since then they have stacked shop shelves all over the UK.

Premier - who also own such other food brands as Branston's, Sun-Pat and Typhoo - acquired Bird's Custard in February 2005.
Incidentally, in the purchase from Kraft, Premier also acquired "Angel's Delight" but if I get started on that.....!

Mr Bird... we salute you.

Katie Helliwell

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Now - it's your turn...

What is your custard experience, your best (and worst) custard moments?
Do you have a special recipe - with or without sponge?
What do YOU do with the skin?
Is school to blame for everything?

Drop us a line - click on the link below:

Your thoughts on custard...

I always remember having my custard with 'spotted dick' that my Grandmother used to make in her copper, which was filled with fresh water after doing the Monday wash, and boiling all the whites. Wrapped in a cloth, and boiled for an hour.. Then served up with Golden Syrup or Butter, and covered, absolutely, with gorgeous, creamy Custard. This happened in the 1940's in Longton, when I was about 5 or 6. I do also remember the custard from my 'School dinner' days, It tasted pretty good to me, as food was always in short supply after the war ended. The skin was the best part of it, as was the skin on the Rice Pudding they made. I was a dinner monitor, and fetched the dinners from the large kitchens situated outside the School, and served them to the staff in the staffroom. We ate ours in the cookery room, along with a few Sultanas raided from the cupboard (right at the top).. Happy days.. School dinners have changed from those days, we had wholesome food, no frozen foods in those days!!! Custard will always be my favourite, I still make it in the winter and serve it over Rhubarb grown in my garden.
Pearl Piper
Waiuku. South Auckland. New Zealand