Bath Oliver facts for kids
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Type | Biscuit |
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Place of origin | England |
Region or state | Bath, Somerset |
Created by | William Oliver |
Main ingredients | Flour, butter, yeast, milk |

A Bath Oliver is a special kind of biscuit or cracker. It's hard and dry, and people often eat it with cheese. It's made from simple ingredients like flour, butter, yeast, and milk. This tasty biscuit was invented a long time ago by a doctor named William Oliver in a town called Bath, Somerset in England. That's how it got its name!
Contents
The Story of the Bath Oliver Biscuit
How a Doctor's Gift Made Someone Rich
The Bath Oliver biscuit was created by a kind doctor named Dr. William Oliver around the year 1750. He lived in the city of Bath in England. Dr. Oliver was not just a doctor; he also loved to invent things, including this famous biscuit.
When Dr. Oliver passed away, he left a very special gift to his coachman, a man named Mr. Atkins. This gift included the secret recipe for the Bath Oliver biscuit! He also gave Mr. Atkins £100 (which was a lot of money back then) and ten big sacks of the best wheat flour.
Mr. Atkins was very smart. He quickly used Dr. Oliver's gift to start his own business baking these biscuits. Thanks to the popular recipe, he became quite wealthy!
The Biscuit's Journey Through Time
After Mr. Atkins, the biscuit business was taken over by a man named Norris. Later, a baker named Carter bought the business. It's possible that other bakers in Bath also started making their own versions of the biscuit because it was so popular.
In the 1800s, the recipe for the Bath Oliver biscuit ended up with a company owned by James Fortt. This company continued to make the biscuits for many, many years, even into the second half of the 1900s.
A Short Pause in Production
In October 2020, the company that makes Bath Olivers, United Biscuits, had to temporarily stop making them. They didn't announce it beforehand, which surprised many fans of the biscuit! However, they started making them again in December 2020, so people could still enjoy their favorite crackers.