Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
[ Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum' ]

Rules! No Bad language or derogatory remarks Please or we will delete. Anyone sharing our content on Face Book must credit 'Hebburn and our Neighbours'.

Be-Ro !

Posted by Stan Wears on 19/12/2025, 11:52 am

No one has heard of it here in Liverpool but I am sure our lady contributors on this board will have! So, do you ladies know how it got its name? It began in 1880 when Thomas Bell, a grocer from Newcastle started selling flour from his little shop near the central station. He began his own blend and it was so popular he decided on a name for it. He took BE from his name Bell and RO from the word Royal. However, because the king had died, it was forbidden to use the word royal so he used RO. Together it became BE-RO ! By 1920 it was so popular, he published the first recipe book with 19 pages. Today it has over 86 pages. I still have copies of it and use it!

Re: Be-Ro !

Posted by Joseph on 19/12/2025, 12:52 pm, in reply to "Be-Ro !"

Stan your a font of knowledge, and I wish you all the best for Christmas and New year.

Re: Be-Ro !

Posted by Liz Dance on 19/12/2025, 1:51 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro !"

Somewhere in our house I also have a BeRo recipe book when I was much younger used the recipes for many things.

Re: Be-Ro !

Posted by Stan Wears on 19/12/2025, 2:00 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro !"

Thanks Joseph and all the very best to you too! Liz, hang on to that book! The brown one is the oldest and is worth a fair bit! I was also reading that Mrs Beeton was 29 when she died....

Re: Be-Ro !

Posted by Malcolm on 19/12/2025, 2:50 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro !"

I never realised that Be-Ro was a "North-east" thing.

Every day is a school day....!!!!

Re: Be-Ro ! - Stan

Posted by Liz Dance on 19/12/2025, 3:08 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro !"

Stan it is a brown book, I seem to recall it isn’t that thick, the size is about 4 or 5 inches wide and about 8 or 9 inches in length, I will try to find it now you have brought the topic to mind, thank you.

Re: Be-Ro ! for Liz

Posted by Mac C on 19/12/2025, 4:35 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro ! - Stan"

My wife still has her Grandmother's book which is in regular use alongside her library of about 45 other, more modern, tomes.

Re: Be-Ro ! for Mac

Posted by Liz Dance on 19/12/2025, 5:21 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro ! for Liz"

Well done Jean, I must dig mine out and see what I can cook.

Re: Be-Ro ! for Mac

Posted by Stan Wears on 19/12/2025, 5:59 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro ! for Mac"

Liz I'm dying to know which edition you have!

Re: Be-Ro ! for Stan

Posted by Liz Dance on 19/12/2025, 8:02 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro ! for Mac"

Stan, I have to try to find it, we have so much in boxes so might take some time to find it,

Re: Be-Ro ! for Stan

Posted by Liz Dance on 19/12/2025, 9:04 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro ! for Stan"

I have just been looking at the various editions, I think mine must be the 17th edition printed in 1954, it belonged to my late mum.

Re: Be-Ro for Liz

Posted by Mac Cummings on 19/12/2025, 10:32 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro ! for Mac"
Edited by administrator Admin2 21/12/2025, 10:46 am

Jean is frantically searching for her 18th edition which is somewhere. She knows she has it. I feel a trip to the loft coming on!!
37th/39th/40th and 41st are all to hand. The latter is off to her Cousin in RSA where they can't get them.
Mac

Re: Be-Ro for Mac

Posted by Liz Dance on 21/12/2025, 2:01 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro for Liz"

Hope Jean finds it.

Re: Be-Ro 18 for Liz

Posted by Mac C on 21/12/2025, 2:09 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro for Liz"

Hoping so Liz. Two days later I am still in the loft!!

Re: Be-Ro !

Posted by Sheila on 19/12/2025, 8:52 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro !"

Stan, I’ve just checked my BE Ro book and it’s 39th Edition. I think my sister brought it to me in Somerset in the 1970’s. So unfortunately of no value, except to me and memories of my dear late sister.

Re: Be-Ro !

Posted by Malcolm on 19/12/2025, 4:42 pm, in reply to "Be-Ro !"

And now on it's 41st Edition.
Apparently the worlds most popular cook-book, according to Wikipedia.

Re: Be-Ro !

Posted by carol badger on 19/12/2025, 5:34 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro !"
Edited by board administrator 19/12/2025, 9:22 pm

I still use mine. It was printed in 1939 and was given to me by my mother over 60 years ago.

Re: Be-Ro !

Posted by Sheila on 19/12/2025, 8:03 pm, in reply to "Re: Be-Ro !"

When I was using my Be-Ro book in Somerset a friend was amazed as she remembered her mother having one this was in the early 1970’s. She didn’t know what happened to the copy but she had never seen one again until she say my book.

« Back to index