Gentleman's Relish is a British commercial brand of

anchovy paste Anchovy paste is a fish paste food product prepared using anchovies as a primary ingredient. It is used as a condiment and as an ingredient in various dishes, such as Scotch woodcock, and is a mass-produced product. It has been used for centuries ...

. It is also known as Patum Peperium (meaning 'pepper paste' in Latin). Created in 1828 by an Englishman named John Osborn, it is a savoury paste with a salty and slightly fishy taste, and contains salted anchovies (minimum 60%), butter,

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

and spices. Today, the secret recipe is withheld from all but one employee at Elsenham Quality Foods in

Elsenham Elsenham is a village and civil parish in north-west Essex in eastern England. Its neighbouring towns include Bishop's Stortford, Saffron Walden and Stansted Mountfitchet. History Elsenham is recorded in the ''Domesday Book'' of 1086 as ''Alsenh ...

, England, the licensed manufacturer.

Uses

Gentleman's Relish is traditionally eaten very thinly spread on slices of hot buttered white-bread toast, either on its own, or with

cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated Vine#Horticultural climbing plants, creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical Fruit, fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.

or " mustard and cress" sprouts. It can also be added to minced meat for a different-tasting

cottage pie Shepherd's pie, cottage pie, or in its French version hachis Parmentier is a savoury dish of cooked minced meat topped with mashed potato and baked. The meat used may be either previously cooked or freshly minced. The usual meats are beef or lam ...

or to the mixture for fish cakes, potato cakes and

croquette A croquette is a deep-fried roll consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is breaded and deep-fried; it is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide. The binder is typically a thick béchamel or brown sauce, m ...

s. Alternatively it can be melted into scrambled eggs or be used as a topping for jacket potatoes. It is an ingredient in the dish

Scotch woodcock Scotch woodcock is a British savoury dish consisting of creamy, lightly-scrambled eggs served on toast that has been spread with anchovy paste or Gentleman's Relish, and sometimes topped with chopped herbs and black pepper. Scotch woodcock was ...

Variations

Elsenham Quality Foods also make a similarly packaged product, Poacher's Relish, which is made from smoked salmon, butter, spices and lemon zest. Both types of relish are sold in plastic containers (pictured), and in more expensive but reusable and decorative traditional ceramic pots. Since 2008 a third variation, Angler's Relish, made from smoked mackerel, salted butter, lemon juice, vinegar, spices and other ingredients was introduced in commemorative packaging to mark the 180th anniversary of John Osborn's original creation. Both are also usually eaten on toast or savoury biscuits, in common with the original recipe.

References

External links

The height of good paste
''The Telegraph'', 28 December 2000. {{Fish sauce Fish sauces British condiments Brand name condiments Umami enhancers 1828 introductions Anchovy dishes Food paste

Uses

Variations

See also

References

External links