| William Jackson & Son Limited | |
| Type: | Private |
| Foundation: | 1851 |
| Founder: | William Jackson |
| Key People: | Nicholas Oughtred (chairman) |
| Area Served: | United Kingdom |
| Industry: | Food manufacturing |
| Subsid: | William Jackson Food Group Limited |
| Homepage: | www.wjfg.co.uk |
William Jackson & Son Limited (trading as the William Jackson Food Group) is a British food manufacturer.
The company was founded by William Jackson (1828–1912), who was born in Elstronwick and opened his first shop at 28 Scale Lane in Hull in 1851.[1] [2] He originally traded as a grocer and tea dealer.[3]
The Jacksons Stores chain, which by that time comprised 114 convenience stores across the north of England, was sold to Sainsbury's in 2004.[4]
The first bakery opened in 1891 and the current Jackson's bakery on Derringham Street opened in 1907.[1] [3]
The company developed a process for commercially producing Yorkshire puddings in 1968.[3] In 1974, Butlin's leisure company asked the bakery to create a Yorkshire pudding for its holiday camps which led to the development of the Aunt Bessie's brand producing 20 million Yorkshire puddings a week.[5]
The company acquired Abel & Cole in 2012 and The Food Doctor in 2016.[6]
The company sold Aunt Bessie's to Nomad Foods in 2018.[7]
The company's businesses include Abel & Cole (organic food delivery), Jacksons (bakery), MyFresh (vegetable processing), The Food Doctor (snacks), Wellocks (supplier to the restaurant industry) and the Ferguson Fawsitt Arms in Walkington (pub-restaurant).[3]