Food and drink

Partners Robert Burnhams, left, and Clive Dudman at Dudmans shop in Smelly Alley
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Dudmans of Reading celebrate 125 years of fruit and veg

By Sally Bryant
September 13, 2011

There can’t be many people in the town whose families haven’t eaten up their greens thanks to Dudmans of Reading.

The fruit and veg business has been going for 125 years and is still in the hands of the fourth Dudman generation, with a shop in Union Street – or Smelly Alley as it is known.

The greengrocers is run now by 43-year-old Clive Dudman and his business partner Robert Burnhams, but there have been many changes since his great-grandfather first piled up the carrots and potatoes for sale more than a century ago.

Clive isn’t sure of his great-granddad’s first name, it may have been Robert, but he knows the founder had a shop in Newtown – then a more bustling area – and it was “fruit and veg from day dot”.

Over the years, the business was handed down to Clive’s granddad, George, who touted cabbages and beans through the ‘30s and ‘40s.

The reins then went to Clive’s father Tony and his brothers Barry, John and Bob. The family stayed in and around Newtown.

Clive, who is semi-retired and “dabbling in property” these days, followed in the family footsteps and has been bagging up the apples and pears since he was 11.

Trading has taken many forms for the Dudmans – Clive’s dad and uncle converted a coach into a mobile shop, but as Clive says: “You couldn’t afford the diesel now.”

At one stage, there were five shops in the town including Whitley Street, London Road and two in Union Street.

Over the decades the Dudmans have also had a shop in Thatcham and stalls in Windsor and Farnborough – in their Smelly Alley heyday they had two flower shops and the greengrocers.

Clive, who lives in Theale, explained his three brothers and cousins are all still working for the family firm and they run it together, although they have split up and look after different areas of the business.

The former Maiden Erlegh pupil said they have all seen huge changes but the demand for the best fruit and veg, at the best prices, has been a constant. Today’s trendy obsessions with quality produce sourced as locally as possible haven’t thrown them, because it’s what they have always done anyway.

“It’s always been up to the market, buy the gear and sell it the next day.

“Buying from as close to home as possible has always been good.”

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I think they employ more veg than they sell. They think the own Union Street!

Tilehurst Ender, Spencers wood
13/09/2011 at 17:55

Are those giant fig rolls just to the left of the cucumbers?

Always good to see the little ones survive against the might of the big businesses, especially in the town centre.