Heritage

For over a century Marshalls has been producing products using only the finest of wheat. Originally milling Semolina and Farola from Durum Wheat for home baking, the Company has expanded over the years into pasta products. It was the launch in 1935 of short cut Macaroni that turned Marshalls into a household name in Scotland with recognition for its quality and consistency helping it become the largest selling pasta in Scotland. We have built upon this success and Marshalls Foods Limited offers a high quality range of pasta and we are proud to announce that Marshalls Pasta is still the best-selling pasta in this region.

The success of the Marshalls tradition for over a hundred years has been based on quality. Great pasta starts with great wheat therefore, since the 1880s our semolina and pasta has been made using only the finest quality Durum Wheat, providing a healthy, tasty and nutritious part of your diet and a versatile option for the whole family. Today, we can make just about anything and in addition to the traditional range of pasta shapes, Semolina and Farola, Marshalls also offers a selection of Cheesey & Saucy Macaroni dishes, providing a convenient high quality meal accompaniment when time is at a premium.

Although times change, the quality stays the same. From Spirals to Spaghetti; Twists to Quills; Lasagne to Tagliatelle you can see our name in shops right across the UK. The long term strength of Marshalls in Scotland is now being complemented by an increasing presence in English supermarkets, where the unique quality of Marshalls Macaroni in particular, is gaining a firm and growing following.

Marshalls - A Scottish History

The Marshalls story began 125 years ago in 1885 when brothers James and Thomas Marshall began a partnership that would see their name become a part of Scottish history and create a food dynasty to span generations.

James Marshall had a long and successful career in the flour merchants and mills of Glasgow where he garnered a reputation as a forward-thinker and became one of the first food producing pioneers to sell products pre-packaged - something we take for granted today. By partnering with his engineer brother Thomas, James had a dream that together they would harness their creativity and food producing knowhow to take Marshalls to another level, making versatile, quality products for Scottish families.

The 1880s was an important decade in food development. Advancements and invention meant the launch of many exciting new brands which, like Marshalls, are still as popular today as they were over a hundred years ago. The introduction of such brands including; Coca-Cola, Philadelphia, Horlicks, Del Monte and Birds Eye meant what had been a typically bland and basic diet became more interesting and varied. Versatility was definitely a word the Marshalls brothers would have used when describing their 'cupboard staple' hero product - a fine grain semolina known as farola. This incredibly versatile product could be used to create tasty, substantial sweet and savoury dishes and quickly became a best seller and was recognised by the award of two gold medals at the Edinburgh and Liverpool Exhibitions in 1886 - a huge achievement after just one year in business.

Sadly, the harmony did not last and the next year saw an acrimonious split, business was divided into two separate firms and a bitter sibling rivalry began which would last until Thomas's death in 1893. Bruised by the on-going dispute with his brother, James found the following years difficult but he continued to expand his product line as well as opening a new factory in Glasgow and small warehouse in London. In 1889 he secured the Marshalls trademark which meant so much to him then and is still in place today, "the finest of wheat".

By the turn of the new century, Marshalls was a limited liability company, James Marshall (Glasgow) Ltd with James as managing director. The only other director was his son, James P Marshall, who worked for the Glasgow bakers, Mcfarlane Lang. Following in his father's footsteps James Jnr was an astute marketer who brokered a deal which allowed Mcfarlane Lang to use the trademark Marshall's Farola and Granola on the packaging and advertising for the biscuits sold by the bakers.

In 1904 James P Marshall decided to branch out on his own and established his own bakery. James Snr, keen to keep the company in the family brought in his three other sons, Thomas, Allan and Edward to help grow the business.

During the war Marshalls became an important provider of sustenance to the troops, while the two youngest Marshall sons enlisted to fight on the front line. More sadness followed for James Snr when Allan was killed in 1918 while on active service and when Thomas died of pneumonia in 1926.

Having spent almost fifty years building up the business which bore his family name, James Marshall died in 1928. He left behind a company ingrained in the Scottish consciousness, which continued to grow and thrive introducing new products over the years including the launch of the famous pasta in 1935. By keeping true to James's original ethos of quality, versatile food over the decades has meant the Marshalls brand has remained a favourite with Scottish families for generations - exactly as James would have wanted.

This year to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of Marshalls, Scottish Chef Nigel Kennedy has created six new recipes bringing a teenies twist to teatime favourites Macaroni and Semolina.

A Taste of Nostalgia

Recent years have witnessed a retro renaissance with TV series such as Mad Men, music with a 50s jazz twist and fashion labels from decades gone by resurrected by new designers. The same can be said for food. Whether it is the taste of a Wispa taking you back to the playground, Bovril to your first football match, or homebaking transporting you to your grandmother's kitchen - 96% of us have childhood memories evoked by certain foods, according to a recent survey by Marshall's Foods. Experts predict the trend for a taste of nostalgia to thrive as the economic situation remains unstable and the rapid rate of technological change continues.

Marshalls, the company behind Scotland's favourite pasta, commissioned the survey to uncover the secrets and psychology behind our love affair with foods from the past.

The Marshall's survey suggests that 55% of us believe things are moving too fast and long for a simpler time and are keen to embrace foods that had been around for a while, or they remember from childhood - foods that are trustworthy and reliable.

This may also go some way to explain our return to more traditional cooking techniques. Almost 90% of those surveyed said that they were now more inclined to leave the ready meals on the shelf and instead chose to prepare meals from scratch. Two of the favourite childhood teatime treats that brought back the best memories were, Marshall's stalwarts, Semolina (24%) and Macaroni Cheese (44%). Marshall's introduced Short Cut Macaroni 75 years ago and it's been a cupboard staple ever since.

The conclusion being that as well as needing an emotional connection with our food at the moment we also need to look after the pennies.

So, if you are one of the 46% who have relaxed your dieting habits since the recession hit - kick back and think of times gone by with a delicious bowl of Marshall's Macaroni Cheese. Or why not enjoy the satisfyingly smoky flavour of our Cheesey & Ham followed by a steaming cup of tea and a piece of Marshalls traditional Scottish shortbread. Simply sensational!