Mattessons is a

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

-based manufacturer of processed-meat products, particularly

sausages A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. W ...

and

pâté ''Pâté'' ( , , ) is a paste, pie or loaf filled with a forcemeat. Common forcemeats include ground meat from pork, poultry, fish or beef; fat, vegetables, herbs, spices and either wine or brandy (often cognac or armagnac). It is often served ...

. The company became famous in the 1970s for its ''"Mmmm"'' television adverts, with the strap line "Just try saying Mattessons without saying Mmm." Mattessons was founded in 1947 by

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-born, Richard Mattes, a butcher who arrived in England in the 1930s,

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, 15 August 1968, ''But what's the English for Würst...?'' and his son Werner Mattes. Richard wished to produce an Anglo-version of his homeland's

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...

, although it was only with the end of

rationing Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...

that he could amend the ingredients to nearer to the Continent's 100% meat. The company developed rapidly, introducing new lines and brands, including Chubs spread in 1966, the first UK pre-packed sliced meat in 1970, and the UK's first pâté in 1971. Taken over by

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

in 1965, it became part of Unilever Meat Group UK (UMGUK), along with Wall's, Lawsons, and Drings. UMGUK was chaired by Werner Mattes until his retirement in 1986. At that point, Mattessons was merged with the meat side of Wall's to form Mattessons Wall's. In this form it was sold to

Kerry Group Kerry Group plc is a public food company headquartered in Ireland. It is quoted on the Dublin ISEQ and London stock exchanges. Given the company's origins in the co-operative movement, farmer-suppliers of the company retain a significant int ...

in 1994. The brand is still made and distributed throughout the UK and has re-established the ''Mmmm'' slogan.

References

External links

Mattessons website
1947 establishments in England Food and drink companies established in 1947 Meat companies of the United Kingdom Brand name meats Unilever brands {{UK-manufacturing-company-stub