Wigan Album

The apricots would not have been grown at Toddington. They would have had to import them, as it was not possible to grow them here as a commercial crop.
Deakins had jam factories and fruit canneries at both Wigan and Toddington, and they would have been processed at one of the two places.
Interesting article on Deakins here:-
http://www.deakin.broadwaymanor.co.uk/deakin/deakin-jam-history.html

TINNED, Mick ?? No such a thing as a tin in food manufacturing and preservation. The apricots were CANNED in a cannery in Wigan and filled into a CANister, namely, a CAN. There is only a very minute percentage of tin in a can these days, not like the 'tin can' days of the early 1800's.

Jonno Ive just had a tin of Heinz soup for my dinner that came in one of them cans your on about

Mick yes thats a very interesting a link you have put on.

'Tinned' was the conventional term for food preserved in metal containers. We all knew there was very little tin in a tin can, but that was the word commonly used; it is appropriate in the caption for this image.

We ALL knew there is very little tin in a can these days did we ? if you say so Robin, i very much doubt it, having worked in a cannery most of my working life i would say that a great number of people think that cans are manufactured wholly from tin. They were called cans LONG before Gallipoli Robin, so in this case it isn't approppiate. Sorry Mick, you had a can of Heinz soup.

One can almost hear the blowflys debating in a Kiwi accent. Is it a tin or a can and where on earth is Weegin?

GW, you've obviously not been to NZ, Wugun would be the way they would say it.

I don`t remember if I ate apricots on my tour of New Zealand in 1996, Mick. I bought some Gala apples in Rotorua which were very cheap.
Went into Wigan yesterday on the Shevington bus. It went thro` a large pool of water near path to John Pit which caused a stream of water to come up to the bottom of the bus windows. This reminded me of a day trip up to Cape Reinga in New Zealand. Our coach went on Ninety Mile beach beside the Tasman sea. Streams of water, on both sides, came above the coach windows when going thro` large pools. The Fuller`s coach was specially protected against corrosion by the sea water.
Did you have any Hokey Pokey ice cream on your recent NZ trip, Mick? I didn`t like it; had round pieces of hard toffee in.

Mick,nice piece of history about Wigan

Ernest I had a few very good ice creams but just vanilla ones

Also had plenty of apricots because there in season.

They have very good pies I tried steak and cheese, chicken and venison with plum gravy

It has always surprised me to hear folks say a tin of soup or dog/cat food and yet they say a can of pop or ale, except for some Australian neighbours who would call a case of Foster's tinnies.

In the time it took for that mass produced horrid gloop they call soup to warm through you could have made your own far superior tasting and healthy tomato soup Mick.

Mick,nice piece of history about Wigan

"Tinnies" it is Tin Can. Many moons ago i spent time in the top end of Oz. There it was a blue can[fosters]a red can [melbourne bitter]a green can[vic bitter]etc. Heady days. Lots of folk knew of Wigan.Aussie and Kiwi rugby nuts that is.

GW, Victoria bitter must rank as one of the worst beers i have supped. Aussies are becoming more Americanised by the day, with some of the things they say and spell, i am conversing with one in Canberra at this moment via keybord and comp in between typing this.

Your right about the Vic bitter Roy . Try it in a can/tinny on a stinking hot day. As the locals would rudely say 'it tastes like emu....' Lets hope we always keep our close ties tho'.