Ambrosia (food brand)

Last updated

Ambrosia
Product type Food
Owner Premier Foods
Country United Kingdom
Introduced1917
Markets UK and Ireland
Previous owners Colman's
Tagline"Devon knows how they make it so creamy"
"Devon knows it's unbelievably good" (Ambrosia Rice)
Website www.ambrosia.co.uk

Ambrosia is a brand of food products in the United Kingdom. Its original product was a dried milk powder for infants, but it is now mostly known for its custard and rice pudding. The brand plays on the fact that it is made in Devon, England, (at a factory in Lifton), with their punning strapline "Devon knows how they make it so creamy". [1]

Contents

History

The Ambrosia Creamery was founded in 1917 by Alfred Morris, in his home village Lifton in Devon, to make rich food for infants. He took milk from local farms, where most of the cows were the Red Ruby breed, and dried it with roller dryers.

The product soon came to the attention of the British armed forces, who took significant quantities for its soldiers, still fighting in the First World War.

Just prior to the Second World War, the Ambrosia creamery was the first company to start making creamed rice pudding ready in a tin. Following the outbreak of war, the vast majority of production was placed in Red Cross food parcels.

After the end of hostilities, Ambrosia relaunched the product, along with a creamed macaroni pudding.

In 1957, following increasing demand, the creamery opened a new factory near to the original production facility.

In 1990 the entire company was acquired by Colman's Ltd., producer of a famous brand of mustard. This, in turn, was bought out by Unilever in 2001. Unilever sold the brand on in 2004, to Premier Foods, where it is still a core brand, alongside others such as Bisto, Oxo and Sharwood's.

In November 2018, Premier Foods announced that they were exploring the possible sale of the Ambrosia factory and brand in a move to focus on its growing brands, such as Batchelors and Mr Kipling, and to accelerate the rate at which it pays down its £510m debt. [2] This sale offer was later withdrawn.

Marketing

In the late 1990s, there were commercials on the Ambrosia flavoured custards which featured custard splatting into the face of a man who licks it off and replies "Mmmm; strawberry/banana/chocolate flavour" and finally, the end of the theme from Roobarb can be heard.[ citation needed ]

In 1999, Ambrosia launched Ambrosia Splat! Custard, aimed at young children. As part of their marketing, they sponsored a popular Saturday-morning kids' TV show SMTV Live (coincidentally its presenters Ant and Dec were the narrators of the adverts), and, in 2002, Panto.ie's annual pantomime in Dublin. [3]

Also, In 2000 to 2001, Animated Characters Called, "The Yummies" (Chucky Chocolate, Tammy Toffee, Vinnie Vanilla, Billy Banana, & Suzie Strawberry) Get Splat by Different Ways Like in a Fun Fair, The Gym, The Office, and Others, The Narrator is Dexter Fletcher. [4]

When the Ambrosia Rice pots were released in 2012, a variation of the strapline was used, saying "Devon knows it's unbelievably good".[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drumstick (frozen dairy dessert)</span> Type of ice cream cone dessert

Drumstick is the brand name, owned by Froneri, a joint venture between Nestlé and PAI Partners, for a variety of frozen dessert-filled ice cream cones sold in the United States, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and other countries. The original product was invented by I.C. Parker of the Drumstick Company of Fort Worth, Texas, in 1928.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rice pudding</span> Dish made from rice mixed with water or milk

Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and commonly other ingredients such as sweeteners, spices, flavourings and sometimes eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornetto (frozen dessert)</span> Italian brand of ice cream

Cornetto is an Italian brand of ice cream cone dessert, which is manufactured and owned by parent company Unilever. Cornetto are sold as part of the Heartbrand product line, known internationally by different names, including Algida in Italy, Wall's in the UK and Pakistan, HB in the Republic of Ireland, Frigo in Spain, and Kwality Wall's in India. Many variations of the product exist, ranging from milk-based ice cream to vegetable fat-based dessert.

Crusha is a brand of milkshake mix, sold in the United Kingdom. The brand first appeared in 1955, and was bought by British Sugar. In December 2001, it came under the Silver Spoon brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnum (ice cream)</span> Brand of ice cream products

Magnum is a brand of ice cream and the company's namesake, originally developed and produced by Frisko in Aarhus, Denmark, a part of the British company Unilever. It is sold as part of the Heartbrand line of products, which is owned by Unilever in most countries and is available in sticks, tubs and bites. In Greece, the Magnum brand name has been owned by Nestlé since 2005–2006 following the acquisition of Delta Ice Cream, so the Unilever ice cream uses the name Magic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Delight</span> British dessert

Angel Delight is a powdered dessert mix produced in the United Kingdom. It is designed to be whisked with milk to create a sweet mousse-like dessert.

YoGo is an Australian yoghurt dessert snack made by Bega Dairy & Drinks. It comes in a yoghurt tub filled with chocolate custard. Its mascot is the YoGo Gorilla, who mainly became popular from commercials throughout the 90s to the mid-2000s. There were calls in 2018 for the YoGo Gorilla to be removed from packaging in a push to reduce the promotion of unhealthy products to children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premier Foods</span> British food manufacturer

Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The group owns many well-known brands, including Mr Kipling, Ambrosia, Bird's Custard, Angel Delight, Homepride cooking sauces, Lyons, Sharwood's, Loyd Grossman sauces, Oxo, Bisto, Batchelors and Plantastic. Premier Foods also produce cakes under the Cadbury's name, using the brand under licence. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Custard cream</span> Type of biscuit popular in UK and Ireland

A custard cream is a type of sandwich biscuit popular in the British Isles filled with a creamy, custard-flavoured centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambrosia (fruit salad)</span> Fruit salad from American cuisine

Ambrosia is an American variety of fruit salad originating in the Southern United States. Most ambrosia recipes contain canned or fresh pineapple, canned mandarin orange slices or fresh orange sections, miniature marshmallows, and coconut. Other ingredients might include various fruits and nuts: maraschino cherries, bananas, strawberries, peeled grapes, or crushed pecans. Ambrosia can also include mayonnaise or dairy ingredients: whipped cream, sour cream, cream cheese, pudding, yogurt, or cottage cheese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnott's Group</span> Australian snack food manufacturer

Arnott's Group is an Australian producer of biscuits and snack food. Founded in 1865 by William Arnott, they are the largest producer of biscuits in Australia and a subsidiary of KKR.

Paddle Pop is a brand of ice confection products originally created by Streets, which is now owned by the English-Dutch company Unilever. It is sold in Australia, New Zealand, and a few other countries. It is held for eating by a wooden stick which protrudes at the base. The brand has a mascot known as the Paddle Pop Lion, or Max, who appears on the product wrapper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Devon</span>

The cuisine of Devon in England has influenced, and been influenced, by other British cuisine. Its tradition of dairy farming has resulted in several dishes, some of which have made both it and Cornwall famous, such as cream teas and junket. Because Devon is largely a rural county, it likewise has a strong reputation for excellent pasture-raised beef and lamb. Orchard fruits are also important, particularly apples, used both for cider as well as for apple-based desserts. The long coastline supplies the county with a wide variety of fish and seafood.

Oak is an Australian pasteurised flavoured milk brand owned by a French multinational corporation, Lactalis. It was first established in 1967 in New South Wales, as the general dairy brand of the Raymond Terrace Co-operative and its successor the Hunter Valley Co-operative Dairy Company. The origin of the Oak brand goes back to 1903. Oak flavoured milk was launched in Queensland, South Australia, and Victoria in 1998. It was discontinued in Victoria in 2006 but relaunched in 2010. Oak launched in Western Australia in October 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokyo Banana</span> Japanese banana-shaped snack cake

Tokyo Banana is a Japanese banana-shaped sponge cake with cream filling. It is the official souvenir sweet of Tokyo and is manufactured and sold by Grapestone Co..

References

  1. "Remembering Mike Hurley". BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  2. Monaghan, Angela (13 November 2018). "Mr Kipling maker in talks to sell Ambrosia rice pudding brand". Business. Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  3. Colgan, Gerry (30 December 2002). "Review" . The Irish Times . Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  4. https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/hhcl-creates-group-splat-characters-smtv-live-spots/18411