Coventry Bakers and Bakeries

Suttons were part of Allied Bakeries....Savages were part of RHM . Two distinctly different groups. I remember them helping each other out when they had problems with production. Seeing Sutton's vans in Argyle St was probably them picking up bread to keep them going.

Alec Guy was my Uncle, I went with him for a couple of weeks on his round in Radford to see if I liked the job, on £4.6s 0p a week with Thursday off. Left and went to Suttons because they offered me 15 bob a week more. Showing my age now.

As they've been mentioned on here a few times - Thanks to Gray Forster on FB -

I mentioned on another site many times queuing with my sister up Livingstone Road many times on Saturday mornings, past the baths entrance, down to the Farr & Reddy entrance on the corner with Lockurst Lane to get an early chance of selection of their range of delicious cakes.

Love this poster. I may have mentioned this before but I read a hilarious book by Stuart Maconie from Macclesfield Called Pies and Prejudice about the amazing varieties of pies available in the upper part of the UK. People are very tribal when it comes to their local food specialties and he makes great sport of this. Also about many other things. I did love that he said that most people he knew reckoned that Oop North started a Watford Gap on the M1. He must be in his late sixties so his memories will resonate will many on the Forum. I sought out of his other funny books and really enjoyed them.

Hello, this gets the old grey stuff going. After leaving grammar school I passed the entrance 'Exam' to qualify for an apprenticeship at Coventry Gauge & Tool Engineering but had to await a vacancy to begin. So with nothing much to do. Thanks to my uncle Stan (Mick's dad) who got me a fill-in job in the Preparation & Baking in the Confectionary department at the Suttons bakery in question here. He, my uncle Stan, was as I understand in charge in the main Bread dept. All the mixing and preparation was ok but was a bit dodgy being given charge of frying the doughnuts and the shock when in rest times, sitting in the cafeteria and suddenly remembering that my oven full of buns were due out!! but what a temptation for me in the packaging, all those reject buns and cakes!! They were a good crowd to work with, both blokes and ladies, I think possibly a sad day when I got news of my call from the 'Gauge' that there was now a vacancy to start work there but the sensible way to go as later years have proved. Whilst there I also witnessed I think the first bread slicing and wrapping machine used there, I seem to remember that the loaves had to stand to cool for some time to be firm enough for slicing. Sometimes dodgy but great times also.

Hello again, Yes, as I understood it greaseproof wrapper was the intention. I'm afraid I did not know many in the main bakery. I am still trying to remember the small dynamo of a man that ran the Bun & Cake Dept. ?? I know he lived in a road just inside Lockhurst lane off Foleshill Road.

I do remember the Suttons Bakery based on Maudsley Road. The entrance to the Suttons Bakery is now called Bakers Lane..... I recall in days gone by, the former bakery on Torrington Ave, Tile Hill, Coventry (that later became a distribution depot for the Federation Brewery among others), used to have bread for disposal after the delivery rounds. I think many of the delivery vans were early EV's, like the similar Co-op milk delivery carts of the same era, powered by lead acid batteries. In fact, I'm not so sure the Torrington Ave premises were not owned by the Co-operative Society........

Hello again. I couldn't remember the little dynamo in charge but I remember now that I visited him at home in Pridmore Road (I think right) at the time it was something to do with an old record player head ??

Was it someone called Phelps?

Not at all sure Mick it's knocking on over 70 yrs. and more now, I believe the women had their own name for him as he used to hurry them along on the preparation tables and packing.

Hi, if you could give the approximate year and the street and rough house number, I might be able to give you a few names.

It was indeed owned by the Cooperative Society. I think their sliced white loaves were branded Three Spires Bread.