KP salted Peanuts can be dated back to 1853 in Rotherham and a firm called Kenyon Son & Craven. At the beginning of the 20th century the company had factories in Hull and Rotherham making jams, pickles and sweets. One early speciality was ‘Hercules Peanuts and Rasins’
Ever ones to spot a bargain Kenyon’s used to buy raw material from markets at the end of the day especially when there was a glut of a commodity. The early days were financially tight and it wasn’t until after the war in the 1940’s that things started to look-up. Hazelnuts became available in 1948 and a secondhand gas fryer was bought to cook the nuts. In the early 1950’s they supplied Bassetts with ground coconut and in 1951 were selling Roasted and Salted Almonds in see through packets retailing at 6d.
In 1953 a hundred years after the company started Peanuts took centre stage with the introduction of the aggressively price 2d ‘KP Nuts’. KP was named after Kenyon Produce and the branding and quality improvements helped drive rapid growth. By the end of the 1960’s KP Nuts were market leader and this attracted the big food company United Biscuits who bought out Kenyon’s when the turnover was circa £5million. By 1971 they were producing and selling 7 tons an hour to satisfy the nations nut appetite.
Odd bits about Peanuts
There are now Sweet Peanuts available from a young Yorkshire company Bah humbug in Masham. Lets hope they last a similar 156 years and are still going in the year 2165. Nut Brittle will be a product remembered from some peoples childhood.
Chocolate Peanuts are available from ‘The Oldest Sweet Shop in England’ at Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire.
Peanuts are not nuts! Like other members of the legume family of beans, peas and pulses they are the kernel of the seed.
Peanuts grow underground and in America they are called Ground Nuts but to many of us the are still called Monkey Nuts.
The ‘Peanuts cartoon’ is a collection of characters including Charlie Brown, Snoopy,Woodstock, Lucy, Peppermint Patty and Schroeder amongst others, not a single character.