Claribel
master brummie
Taylors Crisps were made at a small factory unit at the bottom of an entry and long path between the houses in Wellington Street, Winson Green. In the early 1950s. The entry was opposite the junction of Villiers Street and Franklin Street. The unit was one of two that backed onto the canal towpath, the other unit was a plating and polishing company, not an ideal neighbour for a food factory. The owner was Mr Taylor who also had a fish and chip shop in Bacchus Road Winson Green opposite the public washing baths.
More about the factory, it was approx 25ft sqare with a central doorway and two windows one each side. On the left hand side just inside the doorway was where the potatoes were peeled and then stored in old hogshead barrels. Then taken a bucket at a time to where they were "eyed" and then a lady put them into a machine that sliced them ready to be fried in the large fryer very simular to what would be in a fish and chip shop, but this fryer had a large spindryer on the end to spin out the excess fat. After being spun dry the crisps were put onto a wooden tray and put into racking so that they could be cooled before being bagged up. This was done by hand on scales the same that was used in sweet shops, 1 ounce of crisps was weighed and put into each bag, along with a small blue bag of salt, to seal the bag glue was used, the same glue that was used in schools "Gloy" . Then the packets of crisps were packed into old square biscuit tins that Mr Taylor had aquired and spray painted them yellow and then stenciled Taylors Crisps in green. They were sealed with brown glued paper that had to be wet to make it sticky. The whole operation was done by 5 ladies, one peeled and sliced, one fried and spun, and three weighed and packed. Mr Taylor did install an automatic weighing machine but was not very good so the ladies prefered to weigh by hand. The main customers were local pubs and clubs and corner shops. Mr Taylor used to deliver them in a Ausin A40 Somerset van. The cost, just 3d a packet, they was very nice. How do I know all this, my mother used to be the lady that fried the crisps and I used to help in the unit after school. I hope that you find this interesting.
More about the factory, it was approx 25ft sqare with a central doorway and two windows one each side. On the left hand side just inside the doorway was where the potatoes were peeled and then stored in old hogshead barrels. Then taken a bucket at a time to where they were "eyed" and then a lady put them into a machine that sliced them ready to be fried in the large fryer very simular to what would be in a fish and chip shop, but this fryer had a large spindryer on the end to spin out the excess fat. After being spun dry the crisps were put onto a wooden tray and put into racking so that they could be cooled before being bagged up. This was done by hand on scales the same that was used in sweet shops, 1 ounce of crisps was weighed and put into each bag, along with a small blue bag of salt, to seal the bag glue was used, the same glue that was used in schools "Gloy" . Then the packets of crisps were packed into old square biscuit tins that Mr Taylor had aquired and spray painted them yellow and then stenciled Taylors Crisps in green. They were sealed with brown glued paper that had to be wet to make it sticky. The whole operation was done by 5 ladies, one peeled and sliced, one fried and spun, and three weighed and packed. Mr Taylor did install an automatic weighing machine but was not very good so the ladies prefered to weigh by hand. The main customers were local pubs and clubs and corner shops. Mr Taylor used to deliver them in a Ausin A40 Somerset van. The cost, just 3d a packet, they was very nice. How do I know all this, my mother used to be the lady that fried the crisps and I used to help in the unit after school. I hope that you find this interesting.
