Sue’s Story: 40 Years, Millions of Meals, and a Lifetime of Care
26th January 2026
On Sue’s retirement day, one thing became immediately clear: this wasn’t just the end of a career, but the closing of a chapter that helped shape the Oscar Mayer Erith site as we know it today.
Sukwinder Chahal, affectionately known as Sue, first joined the business in 1977, aged just 18, after moving to London from the Midlands when she got married. It was her first job, and like many young people starting out, she remembers feeling nervous, especially in a food factory where jewellery, makeup, and personal expression had to be left at the door.
“I was young,” Sue laughs. “I wanted to wear jewellery, do my hair… all the things you want to do when you’re young.”
After two years, she left. But the story didn’t end there.
Coming back and building something bigger
Sue returned in the late 1980’s, balancing work with raising her children. From the very beginning, she worked on the factory floor starting as an operative, making saveloys, sausages, and bacon, before moving across lines as the site evolved.
She worked on omelettes.
Then bun lines.
Then pizzas, sandwiches, jacket potatoes… “you name it, we made it here.”
It didn’t take long for Sue’s leadership to shine through.
Within six months, she was promoted to line leader, and later became a supervisor, earning the respect of teams across the factory not through authority, but through care and mutual respect.
The first ready meal, made by hand
One of Sue’s proudest moments came in the mid-2000s, when she was asked to be part of a new project: ready meals.
“We made the first lasagnes by hand,” Sue explains.
“We made the fresh pasta ourselves in the cookroom. We sealed and cut the film ourselves. Everything was done manually.”
From one line, the operation grew to twelve. Jacket potatoes, cottage pies, enchiladas- millions of meals followed.
“Ready meals really took off,” Sue says. “It really did.”
Leadership the Sue way
Ask Sue what she’ll miss most, and the answer comes without hesitation.
“The staff.”
To many of them, Sue wasn’t just a manager, she was “mum.”
She guided young colleagues, helped them save money, encouraged them to plan for their futures, and supported them through tough days on the line. Her approach was simple: treat people with respect, help when you can, and never forget the human behind the role.
“My department was my family,” she says.
That culture of care is part of Sue’s legacy, which will continues long after her final shift.
What’s next?
Retirement doesn’t mean slowing down.
Sue plans to spend her time volunteering at her local Gurdwara (Sikh temple), where free food is prepared for anyone who needs it. She’ll be helping cook, supporting her community, spending time with her children and grandchildren, and fitting in the gym along the way.
“If you’ve got good health,” she says, “you should help others.”
A lasting legacy
Over four decades, Sue saw technology change, processes evolve, and the factory transform, but one thing remained constant: people.
From hand-made lasagnes to millions of meals enjoyed across the UK, Sue’s story is woven into the fabric of the Erith site.
And while she may be retiring, her impact will be felt for many years to come here at Oscar Mayer.
Thank you, Sue for the meals, the memories, and the care you gave so many!
Listen to Sue share her story with our Chief People & Corporate Affairs Officer, Sarah Hill