Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to one of Reading’s leading local history buffs.

Thomas Macey, 36, of Lower Earley is known by many as Mr Jackson due to his lengthy career at the since closed-down Jacksons Department store and subsequent obsession with its artifacts.

A collector of weird and wonderful antiques, Mr Macey has a vast number of bits and bobs that were given to him by the Jackson family.

Being a lover of Reading’s rich history, Mr Macey also prides himself on his collection of Huntley and Palmer biscuit tins.

And, amongst his collection, Mr Macey coverts one deliciously rare item that in my books tops them all: a 100-year-old biscuit that travelled to and from World War One.

Reading Chronicle:

The biscuit in question was produced at the Huntley and Palmers biscuit factory in Reading as a ration for soldiers fighting in France.

According to Mr Macey, the biscuits tasted so bad that many were actually sent back from the frontline.

As a collector of biscuit tins, Mr Macey also showed me a particularly precious collector’s item.

Among the usual boxes for biscuits, he showed me his pride and joy; a glass biscuit barrel with a metal lid, Huntley and Palmer’s engraved on the top.

Reading Chronicle:

“This is quite a rare item,” Mr Macey said. “I have lots of tins from shops as well.”

Mr Macey discussed with me Huntley and Palmers role in the invention of the biscuit tin.

He said “When you go into a shop you take a biscuit tin for granted. Huntley and Palmers used to have a shop on London Road and people would stop in their carriages to buy biscuits.

“They used to sell them in paper, and after a while the biscuit would become soggy and inedible, so they invented the biscuit tin.”

The company then operated in two sites in Reading. One factory was specifically for all types of biscuits and the other was for decorative biscuit tins.

Among Mr Macey’s collection, he also has a tin which is made to look like a collection of books.

Reading Chronicle:

According to Reading Museum, Huntley & Palmers started life in 1822 as a small bakery on London Street, Reading.

In 1846, the firm opened a large factory on Reading's Kings Road. By 1900, it was the largest biscuit manufacturer in the world, employing over 5,000 people.

Biscuit production at Reading finally ended in 1976.