Radiorails
master brummie
I think a bun loaf is normally known today as a fruit loaf.
Not seen it locally for a few years, is it still available in the UK? In Devon we get Saffron Cake.Bob,
Yes, we can get Soreen over here in Crete, but as you describe it, it is fairly doughy and always strikes me as being a bit over-baked. Bunloaf, on the other hand, was fairly light and I haven't encountered it since I left Brum in 1961. Shame.
Maurice
You can now get in coffee shops etc, toasted fruitloaf...see the BHF have sussed it again. ThanksI have purchased bunloaf recently but can't remember in which shop. Maybe it was described as fruitloaf.
Hi my dad worked there (as an engineer I think) in the 70s. His name was Kevin O'Reilly. He was Irish. Do you remember him?Hi Bill, It was lovely to see your thread on Harvo Ltd. It was situated at the bottom of Lawley street, I worked there from when I was 15. Your uncle David Thomas Herbert Lloyd was Company secretary and
my Boss, I know his wife always called him Bert. I know rank Hovis McDougal which I think were United Bakeries bought the Recipe when the company finally closed. Your uncle was very hot on punctuation,
so when he dictated letter to us we made him put in the puntuation as he wanted it. happy days.
Any relation to Carole O’ Reilly who would be 71 now and went to Hodge Hill schoolHi my dad worked there (as an engineer I think) in the 70s. His name was Kevin O'Reilly. He was Irish. Do you remember him?
Hi...my dad worked there in the 70s. His name was Kevin O'Reilly. Do you remember him?Hi Bill, I remember Harvo very well. I worked there for just one summer, the blistering hot summer of 1976. I was a student at nearby Aston Uni. It was a fun place to be and very different to another Bakery I’d worked in every summer since 1971 - Bowketts in Broadstairs in Kent. But after a few weeks it got a bit tricky. There was a wildcat strike and when it came to the vote in the canteen everyone was in favour and all hands went up, except mine that is. When it came to those against, I put my hand up. I was instantly ‘sent to Coventry’ was squared up to in the changing on several occasions and lighted matches were thrown over the wall if I went to the loo. But I survived and didn’t regret my decision, but I’m surprised I didn’t get a serious smacking. One elderly guy remained kind and pleasant at all times, which helped. But I enjoyed my summer there all the same, character-building stuff! John Bates
Bun loaf seems to be a variation of (Tea) Brack, although commercial breads never taste the same as home-baked and we tend to like whichever our mums served up! Brack is easy to make at home, you just need to have the time to let the fruit to soak.Just going slightly off topic, but only slightly, does anyone remember my other favourite, Bun Loaf? Many cake & bread shops used to sell it, including Wimbush's.
Maurice
I found this from Birmingham Museums Trust: Hovis' managing director giving a pep talk to staff, 1935.I never had Harvo, but I do remember my Mum buying Hovis Bread, which is made by RHM. They also make a few other items I remember, and still use myself: Atora suet, Bisto gravy browning, Robertson's marmelade, and Sharwood's curry powder and chutney. Can't seem to get Hovis anymore, am trying to find a recipe for it.
The Two Ronnies had a spoof of the original Hovis TV advert: