A festival which has become a big part of Hull’s modern food landscape is helping one of the city’s most famous businesses mark a major milestone for a favourite dish.

In addition to promoting culinary creations from across the region the HullBID Yum! Festival of Food, Drink and Music is also celebrating 125 years of Bob Carver’s renowned Hull pattie.

The origins of the pattie remain a subject of often fierce debate, but Carol Carver said the business has been producing them since day one in 1888, and has been using a top secret recipe for 101 years.

Carol’s husband Bob is the third generation of the family to run the fish and chip business which built its reputation with a stall on Hull market before taking the current premises in Trinity House Lane 33 years ago.

Carol met Bob at about the same time. She joined the business and made her first pattie 28 years ago, subsequently taking charge of the pattie production process which is now being passed down to daughters Jade and Zoe.

“They are definitely a local favourite and we get people coming from all over the country to buy them,” said Carol.

“They are different. We have our own recipe and we coat the patties in breadcrumbs, whereas most other shops use batter.”

Production takes place at a unit on the Boulevard and the initial part of the process is simple as Carol boils up her pattie pans, drains off the water and puts the cooked potatoes in a pattie mixer – with the secret ingredients.

Attempts to automate the next stage were not entirely successful, and as a result Carol still forms the patties by hand – and can turn out around 150 per hour!

“For a time we had a machine which would take in the mixture and deliver the patties at the other end but customers said the patties weren’t the same, the texture wasn’t right, so when the machine packed up we never replaced it,” said Carol.

“I use something a bit like an ice cream scoop and then I form the patties by hand. I pack them in boxes of 50 and I can do six boxes in about two hours.”

The growth of takeaway food outlets in the city centre has increased the level of competition over the years but Carver’s still get through around 500 patties every week, although Carol isn’t in a position to make comparisons.

She said: “As I work with fish, chips and patties all the time I usually have something different when we go out. It’s nice to see people in Bridlington eating fish and chips but I prefer a cold meat salad!”

Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager, said the history of food in Hull is an integral part of the Yum! Festival, which will promote local businesses in addition to presenting the main activities in Queen Victoria Square and King Edward Street.

“The activities on the Main Dish stage and in the Yum Emporium will focus on the work of food producers and retailers from around our region and the history of food in Hull is a big part of the festival,” said Kathryn.

“Hull History Centre is supporting the festival with a summer picnic which will look at the history of Needlers confectionery company as well as traditional Hull recipes, and they will also be hosting an ‘Acoustic in the Archive’ event which will include tips on healthy lifestyles.

“But the story of Carver’s is fascinating and the pattie has become something of an institution in Hull so we’re delighted to be able to celebrate the milestone of 125 years as part of the Yum! Festival.”

The Yum! Festival of Food, Drink and Music will offer three days of cookery demonstrations, live music and children’s activities in Hull city centre from Thursday 8 August until Saturday 10 August.

All the shows on the Main Dish stage will be free, from cookery demonstrations by top chefs and decorative tips for donuts and cakes to live gigs by top regional bands including Hillbilly Troupe and Soul Patrol.

Children’s activities at The Vegetable Patch will include face-painting, arts and crafts, decorating cupcakes and making fruit kebabs.

The festival will focus on Queen Victoria Square and King Edward Street. The Main Dish stage will provide the centrepiece and will host cooking demonstrations and live music during the day, with bands in the evening. Nearby, the Yum Emporium will house a food market featuring food and drink producers from the Hull area and beyond.

For full details of the Yum! Festival of Food, Drink and Music, including a full line-up of events please visit www.yumfestival.co.uk

Hull loves a good pattie!
The pattie picked up nearly 40 per cent of the votes in a special online poll to identify Hull’s favourite regional dish.

The vote was hosted by Karoo to commemorate the Yum! Festival of Food, Drink and Music, and it invited participants to click to pick their top Hull dish. The patties was the choice of 38.99 per cent of respondents, and although the Carver’s classic was edged out of top spot by Yorkshire puds – which battered the competition with 45.6 per cent – it finished well ahead of the rest of the field. 

Chip spice was a treat for the tastebuds of 6.45 per cent of respondents, 4.09 per cent plumped for Yorkshire parkin and the remaining five per cent selected a variety of other Yorkshire delicacies.

Pictured: Bob Carver, Carol Carver and daughters Jade and Zoe (photograph by Karl Andre)