This popular pickle was very popular in the early 20th century and was discontinued in 2002. Premier Foods wanted to reintroduce it but the recipe was destroyed in a fire. Chris Evans launched an appeal to listeners in 2008 to find the recipe. I don't know if it was found? But I do know there was a box of information about the business stored in a bank vault in the 1980's but as far as we know they weren't able to find any family descendants at that time.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/jan/27/lifeandhealth.foodanddrink

The Maconochie Bros 'invented' the army ration. They supplied the British Army in the Boer War and WWI. 

Unlike Pan Yan Pickle, the rations were definitely not a household favourite!

The Imperial War Museum has a tin of the army ration. The Fraserburgh Heritage Centre also has/had information although was badly damaged by Storm Arwen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maconochie

The business was founded by brothers James and Archibald. They were two of 9 children. The brothers were high profile Lowestoft employers at the time who became pioneers in their industry, but today little is known about them. James died in 1895 from pneumonia but Archibald's life story I am gathering information on as he was my great-grandfather.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_White_Maconochie

Archibald White was born in 1855 in Wigan. As well as a businessman he was also an English liberal unionist MP from 1900-1906. He married in New York in 1903. His son Archibald inherited the business but it was eventually sold in 1953. 

His daughter Margi was the winner of the first official BARC race for lady drivers at Brooklands, in 1927, in a Samson. One of her racing cars was bought from a museum in Germany in 2020 - the owner contacted her son about it and sent photos. On her days off she was the Prime Minister's official driver. (https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-2003/64/women-racers-at-brooklands)  

Another daughter Vera was a professional opera singer. She travelled with her singing partner, soprano Guelda Waller as far as America to perform and appeared on some of the earliest television programmes. When I knew her in later life she was a farmer.