Does anyone remember Dallington Fields Bakery or WQ and TR Adams in Northampton?

Does anyone else remember Dallington Fields Bakery or WQ and TR Adams? It belonged to the Adams family and its motto was “quality” – which its bread and confectionery certainly were.

A lot of local people on the estates worked there, including myself.

I, along with other guys, used to leave Gladstone Road at around 5am with lorry loads of fresh bread and cakes, etc. All sales had to be finished by 11am and returned as Mr Adams said the bread was stale after one day and no one had to put up with stale foods.

Any unsliced bread was sliced and sent to the army and hospitals as “settled” bread was the requirement for digestion.

The fare was beyond description in comparison to the so called loaves of today, which go mouldy before stale. They are completely tasteless as bread but unfortunately nothing else seems available.

They were a fine company to work for with fine products.

For turning out six days a week us sales staff were given a week’s full paid holiday including our sales commission, which created such loyalty to be envied today.

Like many more good companies it became a victim of its own success and the big boys wanted the contracts he held.

Any bread from small bakeries in plain wrappers was from Adams.

That quality is no longer seen anywhere.

Incidentally their sausage rolls were the best any where at two-and-a-half pence each.

They sold hundreds every day.

Halcyon times!

Barry Dearsley

Kingsthorpe