Hull’s famous Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire pudding factory will hit TV screens across the country tonight as it features on ITV’s Made in Britain.
The household name, based in Freightliner Road in Hull, has opened its doors to camera crews and will give a glimpse inside the factory which produces hundreds of millions of puddings every year.
Narrated by actor and comedian Ricky Tomlinson, Made in Britain is to kick off its new series with a feature on Aunt Bessie’s, as one of Hull’s best-known food names takes centre stage.
Aunt Bessie’s hit the headlines last year when the company changed hands in a deal with more than £200m.
Previously owned by historic Hull food firm William Jackson Food Group, the business was snapped up by Birds Eye owner Nomad Foods in summer 2018.
Speaking at the time of that deal, Birds Eye MD Wayne Hudson said: “Aunt Bessie’s is a historic family brand built on strong values and quality product credentials.
“We have long admired what the team have achieved and are excited to welcome around 400 new colleagues and such a well-loved household name to our business.
“We are committed to the frozen food category and are incredibly excited about working with the Aunt Bessie’s team to grow the business in the future.”
Aunt Bessie’s factory in Hull produces a staggering 900 million puddings every year.
Almost 30 tonnes of flour are used every day, in a business which employs 400 people.
Hull Live itself received a behind-the-scenes tour of Aunt Bessie’s home in Hull last year.
Walking around the factory, you quickly get a sense of the sheer volume of puddings that roll along the production line.
In fact, a bag of Yorkshire puddings is made every 1.2 seconds.
Batter rolls into ovens which are more than 50m long, and out of the other end come perfectly formed Yorkshires.
The odd one which doesn’t quite make the cut is discarded, with all food waste becoming animal feed.
A state-of-the-art machine then sorts the puddings by weight in a fraction of a second, and drops them into bags ready to be sealed, boxed and sent off to the shops.
Now, the impressive operation is set to be shown on national television screens across the country.
Aunt Bessie’s will feature on ITV4’s Made in Britain on Wednesday, September 25 at 8pm.
