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Harvo Malt Bread

Bill Parker

master brummie
Does anyone remember this bakery and if so where exactly was it? I ask because a late uncle of mine, Bert lloyd was a director and he never came empty handed when visiting!!! It was delicious dark bread that had a lovley aroma and it was even better with a bit of butter on it, I can taste it now!

I have jusy done a quick search and found the odd reference to malt bread, interestingly often called "Harvo" but I assume other bakeries made it as well...............cheers Bill
 
Orininaly mosely rd then later in years to come it went to west brom boundries oppersite the albion ground we have memories stored on here in
our recent memories about three or four years ago best wishes astonian
 
Harvo was lovely and sticky. I assume it was a variety of Fruit Loaf but as it was a trade name it should only have applied to those made by your Uncle's firm.
 
I'm sure there was a distibution centre, somewhere near Curzon St.
 
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In 1962 Harvo had registered offices at 257 Lawley St, b'ham 9 and it was still there in 1973/4.
 
there bakery was there during the fifties and pre years i just cannot recall when they took over the other bakersin west bromwich
then they became allied baryies in west bromwhich in the later years as i said when they left moseley rd it was facing the pold moseley rd school and it was next to the big old church that still stands there today and two doors away from the old remand centre for bad lads it later became a commuitity home but closed down oweing to the kds running free and the staff issueing out druggs this place as been empty for at least thirty years why dont the council reuse the place for some hink or is it to be a special relegion school
why dont they used it for the home less or unmarried institute why dont they sell it they have sold most things ;;
best wishes astonian
 
My mother tells me that her father was a baker and that he made a malted fruit loaf using Hovis flour. He always claimed that Harvo stole his recipe. I expect that they just happend to be more successful at selling a similar loaf.
 
Thanks for your contributions, it was certainly still in business sinthe 70s and I remember Uncle used to have some smart company cars, one of which was a Volco 144 and as I had recently aquired a driving licence he let me have a run around Hagley, where aunt and uncle lived, in it.

It was really tasty and moist bread, I can taste and smell it now, I cannot exactly remember when he retired but they moved to Woodstock in Oxfordshire and these mergers mentioned probably took place after that period, again thanks all.
 
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.
 
View attachment 68442
Harvo was a product of the Rank Hovis McDougal (RHM) bakery chain whoose main products were Mothers Pride & Hovis. Their Lawley St bakery closed when they moved to a new bakery in Garatts Green which also closed a couple of years ago.
Between 1972 & 1983 I worked for the other major bakery chain,Allied Bakeries,mainly at the bakery opposite the Albion ground. Allieds main product was Sunblest bread. Allied/ Sunblest had their own malt loaf called Sunmalt. This was made in a bakery in Littleborough in the Pennines. In Birmingham Sunmalt could never compete with Harvo which a lot of brand loyalty. I have seen either Harvo or Sunmalt in the shops for many years.
View attachment 68441
Heres a couple of pics of where the Harvo bakery was in Lawley St. These were taken in the late eighties at the start of the construction of the dual carriageway. The first pic is looking towards the Coventry road. The second is looking directly at where Harvo used to be. The third is looking up Lawley st towards the Twin Towers pub.
View attachment 68440
Eeeeeeeee
 
Does anyone remember this bakery and if so where exactly was it? I ask because a late uncle of mine, Bert lloyd was a director and he never came empty handed when visiting!!! It was delicious dark bread that had a lovley aroma and it was even better with a bit of butter on it, I can taste it now!

I have jusy done a quick search and found the odd reference to malt bread, interestingly often called "Harvo" but I assume other bakeries made it as well...............cheers Bill

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
 
Does anyone remember this bakery and if so where exactly was it? I ask because a late uncle of mine, Bert lloyd was a director and he never came empty handed when visiting!!! It was delicious dark bread that had a lovley aroma and it was even better with a bit of butter on it, I can taste it now!

I have jusy done a quick search and found the odd reference to malt bread, interestingly often called "Harvo" but I assume other bakeries made it as well...............cheers Bill
Thanks for the memory , we’ve always called malt bread Harvo for as long as I remember, now I know why, thanks again
Does anyone remember this bakery and if so where exactly was it? I ask because a late uncle of mine, Bert lloyd was a director and he never came empty handed when visiting!!! It was delicious dark bread that had a lovley aroma and it was even better with a bit of butter on it, I can taste it now!

I have jusy done a quick search and found the odd reference to malt bread, interestingly often called "Harvo" but I assume other bakeries made it as well...............cheers Bill
 
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My mother tells me that her father was a baker and that he made a malted fruit loaf using Hovis flour. He always claimed that Harvo stole his recipe. I expect that they just happend to be more successful at selling a similar loaf.

I have always loved malt loaf but its not available in Australia I always bring some back when I visit UK. My sister sent a recipe and I have made it a few times, it is tasty and I enjoy it but I cant get that lovely gooey texture to it. Sad as it is one of my childhood favourites.
 
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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
 
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
Yes, used to enjoy it with butter on, one week we would have a Bunloaf for Sundat Tea, the next week a Malt Loaf. Nowadays as Radiorails says there only seems to be Soreen, which I like but think it tends to be sticky and cloying.
Bob
 
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
 
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