THESE were some of the women who worked in the horseradish sauce department at Frank Cooper Ltd.

They were part of a team which helped make the Oxford firm world famous for its marmalade and preserves.

The picture comes from Stuart Hickman, of Curtis Avenue, Abingdon, whose parents, Mary and Mick Hickman, worked for the company from the early 1950s until 1967 when it left the city. Mrs Hickman is in the picture with, among others, Brenda Matthews, Rene Jacobs, Alice Edwards and Mrs Compton.

At that time, it occupied the large building in Botley Road, where Halfords and formerly MFI were based.

Mr Hickman writes: “There were two company flats on the premises and we lived there.

“I have loads of memories of going to London with my dad in his lorry to pick up mint for the mint sauce, to Worcester for the tin cans, and to Ebrington, near Evesham, for strawberries for the jam.”

The firm’s roots can be traced back to 1874 when Frank Cooper was running a grocery shop at 83-84 High Street, formerly the premises of the Angel Hotel, once Oxford's leading coaching inn.

She took an unsold batch of Seville oranges from the shop and, reputedly using an old recipe of her mother's, created a distinctive marmalade with chunky, coarse-cut peel, which became an instant hit with local dons and undergraduates.

The fame of Oxford marmalade quickly spread to breakfast tables all over the world. Later, the range was extended to jam, sauces and soups.

Early last century, production moved to the corner of Park End Street and Hollybush Row.

In 1947, the company, by now increasingly run by younger members of the family, moved again to the former ice rink and cinema in Botley Road, where it stayed until 1967 when it was bought by Brown and Polson. Production moved to Paisley in Scotland. The business is now owned by Premier Foods.

Look out for more of Mr Hickman’s pictures of Frank Cooper staff soon.