James Henry Cook - First Health Food Business

[Aidan]

These days of increasing health awareness means that there is a great selection of vegetarian goods for sale in most supermarkets and they are even brands by Pop Star wives.

it seems strange then to think that the first Health Food Store was started in Birmingham just over 110 years ago by James Henry Cook along with his Vegetarian Hotel (not sure if the first or not) in the beautiful buildings at 153 Corporation Street. I wonder why the Hotel concept didn't catch on?

The same proprietor also ran the Pitman Health Food Co. (also called Pitman Reform Food Stores) at Aston Brook Street, Birmingham, advertising in 1909 as "The Largest Health Food Dealers in the World". Selling direct and by mail order, it manufactured meat-free products including Pitman Sea-Side Paste, Pitman Savoury Nut Meat, Nuto Cream, Brazose Meat, Vigar Extract, Vegsal Soups and Fruitarian Cakes and wafers. It also sold cooking utensils such as the Pitman Steam Cooker, a multilevel boiler and steamer. Mahatma Gandhi is known to have received jars of Nuto Cream and Nuto Cream Soup from the company.

 

[Aidan]

Detail of the terracotta frieze by Benjamin Creswick c1896 is given here https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...pg=PA46#v=onepage&q=kenneth budd 1967&f=false and shows diners being served at table

 

[Maria Magenta]

I would love to know what was in the Sea-Side Paste!

Early products of that kind had such great names; it must be quite an art thinking them up . I don't remember Colin Spencer mentioning this company in his history of vegetarianism, but it's a while since I read it.

 

[Aidan]

Photos of JHC (the original "beardie"?) and the Pitman Health Food Co. (also called Pitman Reform Food Stores) at Aston Brook Street attached (it would be nice to know exactly where).

A lot more detail from his nearly 90 year old Daughter, Kathleen Keleny, who has a website and book on the subject https://www.euroveg.eu/evu/english/news/news983/kathleen.html eg One of the first men to walk from Land's End to John's o' Groats was George Allen and on the walk the only food he ate was Pitman fruit and nut cakes for energy. During the first world war many poor people were starving in Digbeth (Birmingham) and daily urns of Nuto Cream soup were sent there from the factory to help feed them. At Christmas the Pitman Health Food Company made Vegetarian Christmas puddings in various sizes, and hundreds of small ones were distributed free to the crowds of children who queued out-side the gates of the factory.

I can't seem to find any pics of the products especially the seaside paste!

 

[Maria Magenta]

Great photos - a good subject for a BBC4 documentary by Dan Cruikshank!

 

[Aidan]

I wonder if James Henry Cook or Pitman Health Food Co/ Pitman Reform Food Stores on Aston Brook Street are mentioned in the 1911 Census and Directories of the 1910s-1930s era so that we can establish the exact locations of both. Can anyone do a lookup please?

 

[mikejee]

The following is listed ;
Nothing 1897
1899 – 1900 Pitman’s Stores, fruiterers , 159 Corporation St
1903 - 1904 Pitman Stores, health food specialists, 187, 189 & 191 Corporation st
1905 - 1908 Pitman Health Food. Co. health food specialists, Vigar factory 191 Corporation street. T N 826
Pitman Stores, health food specialists, 183 to 187 Corporation
street. T N 826
1912 - 1921 123 & 125 Aston brook St , Pitman Health Food Co
Gone by 1932.
There is also
1908 - 1921 Cook James H. 103 Summerfield cres
Though whether he is the same one , I don’t know.
Mike

 

[Brumbirder]

I am currently writing a short article about James Cook and the Pitman Health Foods history. I used to walk past the factory (by then no longer Pitman, from 1957 for five years on my way to Hill infant school. Later my mom worked at Lucas at Mere Green. I started my research in 2009 but it got err rather delayed by events and I am continuing it now. In about 1995/6 I stayed at Coombe Lodge in Wooton under Edge where Kathleen Cook had set up a vegan guest house. Because we were from Sutton Coldfield where Kathleen had lived as a young woman, the hosts were very keen to tell me all about the history. As I was still nursing then I did not come to genealogy and local history until later. If anyone can find a photo of the factory as it might have been before the business was liquidated I would love to see it. My searches have been fruitless. I still have ssome editing to do but will be happy to share once it is done. I became a vegan in about 1972 but had no idea of the significance with Mere Green as by then I had moved away for college. Veganism was pretty cool then and is now back on the rise. A fascinating story!