Unsweetened: Ode to Biscuits

In 1822, one of the most famous names in baking, Huntley & Palmers, began life as a small baker’s shop in London Street, Reading. Within 40 years, the company was exporting goods across the globe and Reading became known as ‘the Biscuit Town’. This film explores what life was like at the Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory at the dawn of the First World War.

Learn more about Biscuit Town 200, the 200-year anniversary of the founding of Huntley & Palmers

About the film makers

Teresa Murjas and James Rattee have been working collaboratively for 10 years, producing diverse performances, films, and mixed-media installations. They have worked extensively with heritage organisations in Reading, including The Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL) and Reading Museum, using Reading-based archives and collections. Some key projects include:
• Surviving Objects, an installation shown at Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker as part of the Essex Book Festival
• The First World War in Biscuits, a mixed-media installation that drew on the Huntley & Palmers business archive and was shown as part of the Reading at War exhibition and at The Minories gallery in Colchester
• War Child, a digital resource that explores the establishment of the Evacuee Archive at The MERL
https://www.war-child-archive.com
• I, Sheep, a poetry film drawing on the sheep farming collection held at The MERL. The film has been part of the Official Selection for the following: Nature Without Borders International Film Festival; Video Art & Experimental Film Festival; International Shorts Festival; REELPoetry Houston TX Festival; Best Shorts Competition; Nature & Culture Film Festival; Stockholm City Film Festival, Ag & Art Film Festival, International Polish Film Festival. It has also won an Award of Recognition in the Best Shorts Festival, an Honourable Mention in the Video Art & Experimental Festival, and an award of Exceptional Merit in the Nature without Borders festival.