Mornflake is a British brand of

oat The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural). Oats appear to have been domesticated as a secondary crop, as their seeds ...

and oat-based

breakfast cereal Breakfast cereal is a category of food, including food products, made from food processing, processed cereal, cereal grains, that are eaten as part of breakfast or as a snack food, primarily in Western societies. Although warm, cooked cereals li ...

s, launched in 1941 in

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, by parent company H J Lea Oakes.

History

The Mornflake brand was first launched in 1941 by the Lea family at the height of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The family had an existing oat milling business in the Cheshire village of

Swettenham Swettenham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 Official UK Census, the population of the entire civil parish was 248,

dating back to 1675 and the current managing director, John Lea, is a direct descendant of the original founder. H J Lea Oakes, the parent company of Morning Foods, is one of the oldest companies in the UK and is one of Crewe's larger employers alongside Bentley Motors.BBC: Business tips from UK's oldest family firms
BBC News (15 January 2014). Retrieved: 13 June 2021. Mornflake Oats was the official shirt sponsor of football teams Crewe Alexandra F.C. and Altrincham F.C. The Mornflake logo appeared on Crewe shirts for 20 years from 2005, making it the then longest continual agreement in the EFL, and October 2024 saw the 1,000th game since Mornflake's shirt sponsorship began. In June 2021, Crewe agreed a £500,000 naming rights deal with Mornflake; its

Gresty Road Gresty Road or the Alexandra Stadium, currently known as the Mornflake Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Crewe, Cheshire, England. The home ground of Crewe Alexandra, it has an all-seated capacity of 10,153. History C ...

ground would be called the "Mornflake Stadium" until at least 2024–25. In April 2025, Mornflake extended their ground naming rights sponsorship, while shirt sponsorship was taken over by Whitby Morrison.

Products

The Mornflake product range includes

porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

oats,

oat bran Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the component of a cereal grain consisting of the hard layersthe combined aleurone and pericarpsurrounding the endosperm. Corn (maize) bran also includes the pedicel (tip cap). Along with the germ, it is ...

oatmeal Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been dehusked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains ( groats) that have either been milled (ground), rolled, or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel- ...

muesli Muesli ( ) is a cold Swiss cuisine, Swiss breakfast dish, the primary ingredient of which is rolled oats. Traditionally, it is set to soak in water overnight ("overnight oats") and eaten the next morning with fresh fruit, nuts, lemon juice, and ...

granola Granola is a food consisting of rolled oats, nuts, seeds, honey or other sweeteners such as brown sugar, and sometimes puffed rice, that is usually baked until crisp, toasted and golden brown. The mixture is stirred while baking to avoid b ...

and other breakfast cereals.

References

External links

MornflakeHJ Lea Oakes
{{Oats 1675 establishments in England Breakfast cereal companies Breakfast cereals Companies based in Cheshire Companies established in 1675 Food manufacturers of England Oats