04/08/2025
Seabrook Crisps is one of Britain’s beloved snacks, known for it's iconic crinkle-cut crisps founded by Charles Brook in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1945.
The company has grown from a small family operation into a nationally recognised name.
The name "Seabrook" is said to have come from a mistake during a photo processing order, where the shopkeeper labelled the photos Seabrook instead of C Brook.
Charles liked the name so much he used it to name his Fish and Chip shop in 1939, Seabrook Fisheries, based at 32 Great Horton Road.
After WW2, Charles son Colin returned from service and together they discovered that with their chip shop fryer, they could diversify the use of the potato, so they began making crisps in the back of the shop, hence Seabrook Crisps were born and 32 Great Horton Road became there humble crisp headquarters!
They were delivered locally door to door, proving very popular in the district for their unique crinkle-cut texture and extra salty flavour.
By 1956, demand was high and a new premises was sought for production, this being at the old Allerton Liberal Club, that later became Seabrook House, on Allerton Road / Ley Top Lane.
Nearly twenty years later, a new site was purchased at Duncombe Street and the Princeville Factory was opened, where production is still in operation.
Seabrook developed a loyal customer base in the North of England, especially in it's home county of Yorkshire.
In the 1990s, Seabrook expanded distribution beyond Yorkshire to the rest of the UK.
The company remained family owned and relatively small compared to other crisp manufacturers, but it maintained a cult following for its flavour intensity and crinkle-cut identity.
Flavour innovation became a hallmark, with their classics such as Original, Cheese and Onion and Sea Salt and Vinegar flavours, to more experimental offerings entering the range, from Prawn Cocktail and "Wuster' Sauce in the late 1970s, to Beefy, Canadian Ham, Roast Chicken, Pickled Onion, Spring Onion, Cream Cheese & Chives, Lamb & Mint, Lea & Perrins, Garlic and Herb, Tomato Sauce, Cheesy, Smokey Bacon, Indian Tandoori, Sweetcorn, Surf & Turf, Bacon & Brown Sauce, Unsalted, Pizza, Mexican Chilli and Fish & Chips.
It's not just the unique crinkle cut crisps they produce, they have also expanded their range over the years, to softer everyday corn snacks, including the new Trebles and Waffle Bites range and Lattice Style Share Bags in classic Cheese & Onion, and Natural Sea Salt flavours to more upmarket flavours like Sweet Chilli, Sea Salt & Red Wine Vinegar, Sea Salt & Black Pepper, Chorizo, Steak and Ale, Chicken Jalfrezi and Bradford's famous Akbars Chicken Karahi.
Aswell as exotic tastes including Wasabi, Trinidad Scorpion, Scorching Hot Chilli, Smokehouse Cayenne, Hot Chilli & Lemon.
They also have recently produced their new Tastes of the North range, Chicken Curry, Fish & Chips and Cheddar & Chutney, innkeeping with their North of England roots and not forgetting the Peppa Pig Lentil snacks for younger children.
Seabrook were the first crisp manufacturers to fry in pure sunflower oil, and the brand emphasized gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly qualities before these became mainstream concerns.
In 2007 all MSG, E numbers and any unnecessary artificial ingredients were removed from their recipes.
By 2013 the crisps were certified by Coelic UK and all packaging was updated to carry the gluten free logo.
The company was bought by Japanese snack brand Calbee Inc, yet Seabrook has continued to operate from Bradford, preserving its Yorkshire roots and distinctive brand identity.
Picture Credit www.findmypast.co.uk and www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
