Atora is a British brand of pre-shredded
suet (the hard fat around the kidneys). As suet most commonly needs to be shredded in its typical uses in
British cuisine
British cuisine is the specific set of cooking traditions and practices associated with the United Kingdom. Historically, British cuisine meant "unfussy dishes made with quality local ingredients, matched with simple sauces to accentuate flavou ...
(e.g. in pie crusts, steamed puddings, and dumplings), Atora can be seen as a labour-saving convenience item. Atora only uses suet from cattle and sheep.
Atora is also available in a vegetable fat-based version labeled "vegetable suet".
History
In the past, it was common to be able to find blocks of suet at grocery shops; however, it was not until 1893 that the first pre-shredded suet became available. This was the brainchild of Gabriel Hugon, a Frenchman living in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He observed his wife struggling to cut blocks of suet in the kitchen and set about to create ready-shredded suet.
Etymology
Hugon called his product "Atora", derived from "toro", the Spanish word for bull. To reinforce this connection, prior to the Second World War, the suet was transported around the country in painted wagons pulled by six pairs of
Hereford bulls.
Ownership
In 1974 production was moved from the factory in Ogden Lane,
Openshaw
Openshaw is a suburb of Manchester, England, about three miles east of the city centre. Historically part of Lancashire, Openshaw was incorporated into the city of Manchester in 1890. Its name derives from the Old English ''Opinschawe'', which me ...
, Manchester to another site at
Greatham Greatham may refer to:
*Greatham, County Durham
*Greatham, Hampshire
Greatham ( ) is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Liss, just off the A3 road.
The nearest railway station is ...
, near
Hartlepool
Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...
. Production at Greatham ended around 2002–2003.{{citation needed, date=June 2017
The brand was bought by
Rank Hovis McDougall in 1963 and, along with the rest of their assets, it became part of
Premier Foods in March 2007.
References
External links
Official WebsiteAtoraat gracesguide.co.uk
Food brands of the United Kingdom
Cooking fats
Premier Foods brands
British Royal Warrant holders