Jelly Cream (made by Chivers)

Description:

The Chivers Jelly Cream was a powdered dessert supplied in boxes and needed to be mixed with milk. Chivers improved their sales by producing the box with a ‘note for the milkman’ to leave another pint of milk.  The box once empty could be turned upside down and placed over the milk bottle ready for the next days milk delivery.

The Jelly Cream was available in different flavours: Raspberry, Strawberry Lemon, Orange Pineapple Chocolate Vanilla, Coffee, Maple and Walnut. It was manufactured by the company of Chivers, well known for the manufacture of jams, fruit jellies, marmalades, canned fruits, fruit salad, jellies and of course the Jelly Creams shown in our pictures. They also made mincemeat and Christmas Plum Puddings, custard powder, lemon curd, pure Honey, coffee essence and other sweet goods.

In 1850 Stephen Chivers bought an orchard next to a railway line. He now had easy access to London and northern markets. In 1870 he opened a distribution centre in Bradford and soon noticed that their main customers were jam manufacturers.

In 1873, because of a fruit glut, they made their first batch of jam in a barn. At first, stone jars of two, four and six pounds were produced.  In 1885 the still rare glass jars were first used.

A clear dessert jelly followed in 1889, along with lemonade, mincemeat and custard powder. A decade later and Chivers were selling canned products and, by 1900, the company had become a world leader in preserves production.