The History of Worcestershire Sauce
The story behind the famous bottle…
You may recall an earlier post on cheese on toast when I suggested you should give the resulting recipe a good splash of Lea & Perrins. Yesterday I was given a taster of their extra mature vintage, all the taste of the original but with the kick of a particularly incensed mule. Too strong for me but real fans of the brown stuff will doubtless love it.
Anyway that got me thinking about how versatile the sauce is and how many recipes feature it in some small way and how the sauce actually came about…
Everyone associates the sauce with the Lea & Perrins company, there are a couple of other makers out there but L&P own about 98% of the market and, having tried its competitors versions I have to say I agree with the company’s logo: Lea & Perrins Original and Genuine Worcestershire Sauce. Sold in their trademark orange labelled bottles they are a staple behind every decent Bloody Mary, cooked breakfast, students spag bol and chefs sauce mornay.
According to Lea and Perrins the recipe originated in India and was brought to England by a certain Lord Sandys in the 1830’s. Messers John Lea and William Perrins owned a pharmacy in Worcester and in 1835 they were asked by Lord Sandys to recreate the recipe. Upon making it they were less than impressed by the result and were left in storage jars, forgotten for some twelve months until they were rediscovered. What Lea and Perrins found was that the sauce had improved considerably with age, so much so that they bought the recipe and began making it in earnest in 1837.
As with most classic sauces the recipe remains a trade secret to this day. Quantities aside we know that the sauce contains molasses, garlic, anchovies, onions, tamarind, vinegar, sugar and salt. The spice mix is unknown but once the anchovies have been matured in a brine for up to three years along with the vegetables and vinegar they are then brought together and left for three months before the sauce is adjusted, seasoned, strained and bottled.
I love this sauce, it’s got taste as well as a great old English tradition and nothing sums that tradition up better than its original title which, in my humble opinion should be brought back:
Lea & Perrin’s Worcestershire Sauce, prepared from a recipe of a nobleman in that county . They don’t advertise them like that anymore!
I love the stuff - s much so I even buy it !
I was going to blog about L&P this week
Rod
March 30, 2009 @ 8:15 am
Rod,
Unlucky!!
Miles
March 30, 2009 @ 8:33 am
Miles,
Interesting post although I don’t have much to offer as I’ve never used Worcesterhire sauce.
I did want to add that I see your guy Jamie Oliver and some of his “Fifteen” gang will be preparing the pre-G-20 summit meal at Gordon Brown’s house on April 1st. What do you suppose will be on the menu?
Melissa
March 30, 2009 @ 7:21 pm
Melissa, hopefully they will be serving hemlock, but we wouldn’t be so lucky.
March 30, 2009 @ 8:09 pm
Miles,
Our bottles are different over here - they wrapped in tan paper, then a brown glass bottle inside. They alternate sayings on the label - the 2 bottles in my home fridge say “Unwrap the Possibilities” or “the Burger Booster”.
Melissa, it’s great stuff - think of it as the English equivalent of an asian fish sauce. It goes in nearly everything and a little does a lot. And Miles is absolutely right - it is the third most important ingredient in any good bloody - right after vodka and tomato juice. Pick some up, a 5oz bottle cost $1.69 in NY and it’s uses are endless.
March 30, 2009 @ 8:21 pm
Melissa,
Probably Italian, probably with ‘pukka’ on the menu, definately overated,
Miles
March 30, 2009 @ 8:36 pm
Dave,
Hemlock-love it! Nice to hear the New York version-they should get Sting to sing ‘An English Sauce in New York’!
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Miles
March 30, 2009 @ 8:38 pm
Dave,
Hemlock? On April’s Fool’s Day?
You sound a bit jaded — I also noticed that on your comment from yesterday.
You’re not happy with the Washington crowd? Just be glad you don’t live in California and drive a black car.
The next stimulus package will probably include a bazillion dollars to replace all the black government vehicles. What happens if you have a black Prius? Are you excluded?
Geez…what’s next with these people?
Oh, I’ll check out the L&P next time I’m at the market.
March 30, 2009 @ 8:41 pm
Miles,
I’m the very proud (and lucky) owner of, ‘The Secret Sauce - A history of Lea & Perrins,’ a book by Brian Keogh which, I understand, was privately published and available for purchase only to employees of the company back in 1997. I picked it up for 50p from an online second-hand bookstore.
It’s a fabulous read. It talks about Lea, Perrins and their family history, the pair’s coming together and early trade as pharmacists (or Drugists as they called themselves). They were remarkably upstanding and proud gentlemen, as the forward to their 1823 trade catalogue clearly shows;
“Lea and Perrins beg leave very respectfully to present their catalogue, and to inform you, that in the arrangements which they have lately made, every article at their establishment is of the most pure and genuine quality; and they warrant all preparations to be made according to the different texts and directions of the Royal College of Physicians in London; and they beg particularly to state, that a constant personal attention will be given to the retail and dispensing department, and that every prescription which is intrusted to their care, will be compounded with the most scrupulous accuracy and punctuality.”
Keogh concludes that the origin of the secret recipe actually remains a secret. The original bottle label carried the text, “From the recipe of a nobleman of the country,” but he rather debunks the Lord Marcus Sandys ‘legend,’ which states that, amongst other roles, Sandys was a former Governor of Bengal. Keogh found that the male line of the ‘Baron Sandys’ ended in 1797 - 38 years before Marcus Sandys was reputed to have met Lea & Perrins. The Sandys title was carried on by the First Baron’s niece, but there is no record of a Lord Sandys (or married name, Hill) ever having been Governor of Bengal or indeed ever setting foot in India!
It actually transpires that several claims to reveal the identity of the said nobleman have been made. My own suspicion is that the company picked the most romantic sounding one to identify with their product.
My God, I’ve turned into Simon Sharma!!! I hope was of interest.
GDave
March 30, 2009 @ 8:44 pm
Melissa,
‘Jaded’ love that-can’t wait for Dave’s reply to that!!
Miles (laughing in England right now)
March 30, 2009 @ 8:46 pm
GDave,
That’s amazing, thank you. Wish I’d never bothered writing it now
Bugger!!
Sounds like a great book-beats the last one you mentioned!
Miles
March 30, 2009 @ 8:50 pm
Good Lord,
In the time it took me to write my reply you people have turned this discussion into a plot to assassinate the 20 most powerful leaders of the civilised world!!
Count me in!
GDave
March 30, 2009 @ 9:15 pm
GDave,
We should ‘custard pie’ them all. “Bags I get first pop at Gordon. It is my blog after all
Miles
March 30, 2009 @ 9:20 pm
Miles,
He’s all yours!
I’m not taking Pressa, I hear he’s got a mean left jab.
GDave
March 30, 2009 @ 9:52 pm
The alternative reply….
Sure, you can custard pie Gordon Brown, he won’t see that coming! *
GDave
* This joke is hilarious** if you know that Gordon Brown is blind in one eye.
** Sick and uncalled for.
March 30, 2009 @ 9:56 pm
GDave,
Prezza probably read this as he’s now got his own blog. I hear it’s a knock out!!
Didn’t know that about Gord, too busy watching his jaw drop after every sentence!
Did you see his ‘tour de force’ of a**e licking to the American congress the other week? Mind boggling grovelling to a bunch of American politicians who all know he’s finished anyway.
Miles
March 30, 2009 @ 10:09 pm
Miles,
Nah, I’ve got to say I missed that. It was probably on television just after I heard the words, “Meanwhile for viewers in Scotland……”
Five years of ‘Call Me Dave.’ I’m not too sure. Style over substance? The Labour Scottish Secretary, a guy called Jim Murphy who is MP just down the road from me, is probably the most impressive politician I’ve seen for some time. He outwardly shows distain for party politics. It’d be nice to see him throw his hat in the ring with the self-appointed successor, Harriet Harman.
Anyhows, it’s gotta be time for bed. Thanks for another great post and looking forward to the next!
GDave
March 30, 2009 @ 10:39 pm