Brand · Carr's

Carr's

The Carlisle bakery behind the table water biscuit, baking since 1831.

Carr's began in 1831, when Jonathan Dodgson Carr opened a small bakery and biscuit factory in Carlisle, with a flour mill alongside it: bread was baked by night and biscuits by day, and in 1841 the business won a royal warrant. The biscuit that made the name is the table water biscuit, a thin, crisp, plain cracker of flour, fat and salt, docked with holes and baked flat so it carries cheese without competing with it. Today the range runs from the table water biscuit in regular and large sizes, plain and with cracked black pepper, to the richer, flakier Melts and a cracker selection box. On our shelf the table water biscuit is the plain partner for soft and delicate cheeses, and the Melts are the choice for snacking and mild toppings.

UK
In stock at crackers.biz · 7 products
Founded1831
OriginEngland (Carlisle)
SpecialityTable water biscuits and cheese crackers
In stock at crackers.biz 7 products
Facts from the maker and the label
Curator says · Lee on Carr's

Carr's makes the plainest cheese cracker there is, and that is its strength. Put the table water biscuit under a soft cheese and the cheese tastes of itself; keep the Melts for snacking and mild toppings.

Lee Samuel Tucker · Curator, crackers.biz
Founded 1831 · England (Carlisle)

About Carr's

Carr's began in 1831, when Jonathan Dodgson Carr opened a small bakery and biscuit factory in Carlisle, with a flour mill alongside it: bread was baked by night and biscuits by day, and in 1841 the business won a royal warrant.

Key facts

Founded 1831 Jonathan Dodgson Carr's bakery and biscuit factory in Carlisle, with a flour mill alongside it.
Royal warrant 1841 Won ten years after the bakery opened.
The table water biscuit The current label lists flour, palm oil and salt, with no raising agent.
Today Part of pladis.
1831 → Today

Brand timeline

1831 01
Bakery and biscuit factory in Carlisle

Jonathan Dodgson Carr opens a small bakery and biscuit factory in Carlisle, with a flour mill alongside it.

1841 02
A royal warrant

Carr's wins a royal warrant.

1884 03
The founder dies

Jonathan Dodgson Carr dies; the Carlisle bakery carries on.

2012 04
The warrant ends

Wikipedia records that Carr's Table Water biscuits lost their royal warrant in March 2012, put down to changing tastes in the Royal Households.

Today 05
Part of pladis

Carr's is part of pladis, and its table water biscuits and Melts are on our shelf.

Curator picks

Top picks

The four Carr's products we recommend most often.
Carr's Table Water Crackers, 125g, Crackers and Crispbreads. Sold by crackers.biz.
Carr's Table Water Crackers, 125g

Carr's Table Water Crackers are the classic thin, crisp water biscuit: wheat flour, palm oil and salt, rolled thin, docked with holes and baked until they snap. They are made to carry…

£3.25 £2.60 Add +
Carr's Table Water Large Crackers, 200g, Crackers and Crispbreads. Sold by crackers.biz.
Carr's Table Water Large Crackers, 200g

Carr's Table Water Large are the table water biscuit in a bigger size: the same thin, crisp bake of wheat flour, palm oil and salt, with more surface for a generous slice…

£4.50 £3.60 Add +
Carr's Melts Original Crackers, 150g, Crackers and Crispbreads. Sold by crackers.biz.
Carr's Melts Original Crackers, 150g

Carr's Melts Original are round, flaky crackers with a rich, tender bite. They are the plain member of the Melts range: no cheese, no onion, just a buttery style cracker that sits…

£3.50 £2.80 Add +
Carr's Cracker Selection, 200g, Cracker selections. Sold by crackers.biz.
Carr's Cracker Selection, 200g

Carr's Cracker Selection is a boxed assortment of Carr's crackers, sold as "A Collection of Carr's Finest Quality Biscuits". It is the easy way to put several shapes and styles on one…

£6.00 £4.80 Add +
All products 7 →
7 products · in stock

Shop Carr's

Carr's Carr's Melts Original Crackers, 150g Anytime · Crackers · Savoury
£3.50 £2.80
Add to basket
Carr's Carr's Table Water Cracked Black Pepper Crackers, 125g After meals · Afternoon · Crackers
£3.25 £2.60
Add to basket
Carr's Carr's Table Water Crackers, 125g Crackers · Evening · Savoury
£3.25 £2.60
Add to basket
Carr's Carr's Table Water Large Crackers, 200g Afternoon · Crackers · Evening
£4.50 £3.60
Add to basket
Carr's Carr's Cracker Selection, 200g Afternoon · Crackers · Evening
£6.00 £4.80
Add to basket
Carr's Carr's Melts Cheese Crackers, 150g Afternoon · Crackers · Evening
£3.50 £2.80
Add to basket
Before you buy

Carr's: Frequently Asked Questions

Jonathan Dodgson Carr, who opened a small bakery and biscuit factory in Carlisle in 1831.

Carr's won a royal warrant in 1841; Wikipedia records that Carr's Table Water biscuits lost theirs in March 2012.

The plain table water biscuit: thin, crisp and made from flour, palm oil and salt, so the cheese leads.

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