Gentleman’s Relish may still be saved despite the British anchovy spread being discontinued after spending 177 years on supermarket shelves.
The pungent paste has outlasted six monarchs and two world wars and has been a staple of traditional pantries since 1849.
Now the owners of the spread, officially known as Patum Peperium, are in the ‘early stages of exploring options with several third parties’ over keeping the brand alive.
‘We have been blown away by the response from Gentleman’s Relish fans since we confirmed our decision to stop production,’ a spokesman for AB World Foods said.
Some of the country’s most famous restaurants use the relish, with chefs attempting their own version to ensure supply, while shoppers start to stockpile the spread.
The company itself is ‘very aware of the strength of feeling’ and whether its passionate fans are enough to secure its future rests on upcoming negotiations.
The seemingly quick U-turn can invite scepticism that the brand has been strategically ‘withdrawn’ to drum up interest and nostalgia.
Cadbury’s Wispa and Heinz Salad Cream took this route, long being cited as masterclasses in marketing in this way.
However, the production of Gentleman’s Relish was seemingly stopped some time quietly before the story was first reported in The Spectator.
And now the backlash over the decision to discontinue the product seems to be more reactive than an orchestrated one.
The current appears to be more of a salvage mission than a stunt, with the most likely outcome being a handover rather than a full-scale return under AB Foods.
Most plausibly, it appears a licensing arrangement would be agreed with a third-party producer.
It would allow the brand to continue without the burden of in-house manufacture.
The Spectator, which is edited by Lord Gove, looks to be playing a significant role in its revival, as it said in an article this week that ‘quiet diplomacy’ between the relish’s owners and the magazine had assisted in advancing negotiations.
The paste was created in 1828 by John Osborn, an English grocer who lived in Paris, from a mixture of anchovy fillets, rusk, butter and a secret selection of herbs and spices.
However, he didn’t market it until 1849, when it was launched at the Paris Food Show.
To make it seem distinguished, he called it Patum Peperium, a sort of mock Latin for pepper pate.
The paste consists of around 60 per cent anchovy and is typically enjoyed spread on hot buttered toast.
James Bond author Ian Fleming was a fan, and would order the paste when dining at Scott’s, the historic London restaurant, served on toast with scrambled egg – a dish known as Scotch woodcock.
Tom Brown, whose restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in February, said Gentlemen’s Relish was a national treasure.
He told The Telegraph: ‘It is such a shame, it is a really versatile British product, like Worcestershire sauce or English mustard. If they aren’t going to make it any more, they should release the recipe.’
Mr Brown added: ‘It’s good stuff. It is fermented and salty like soy or miso. I don’t want to see it go, it has such a history to it.’
Glynn Purnell, whose restaurants Jessica’s and Purnell’s have both been awarded Michelin stars, told the newspaper he was ‘gutted’ to see the end of the product, adding he used it in dressings, mousses and glazes.
Fans of the spread have begun petitions and written letters in a bid to reverse the decision, while bidding on one eBay listing of a pot rose to £51 with five days remaining.
The same pot was priced at less than £5 when it was stocked in shops.
Ameer Kotecha, a food writer who wrote the Platinum Jubilee’s official cookbook, has started a campaign to save the relish, writing to ABF’s chief executive to urge him to release the recipe.
Mr Kotecha said 750,000 pots of Gentlemen’s Relish were sold per year during its peak in 2000, which had declined to five per cent of that figure – 37,500 – at the time production was halted.
Jeremy King, who has run famous eateries including the Ivy, the Wolseley and Le Caprice, has instructed his chef at the recently reopened Simpson’s on the Strand to create a version of the condiment.
Mr King told the Guardian: ‘We actually make our own, due to the difficulty in obtaining, so are able to continue to serve it.’
Simpson’s serves the relish on toast for £6.50.
Mr King, 71, added: ‘My chef found and adapted a classic Victorian recipe for Patum Peperium, which is its proper name. It is similar to mass-produced versions, but dare I say, I prefer it.’
Fortnum & Mason will also reportedly continue to produce and sell a version of the relish for £14.95.
Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson once named the spread as one of the ten foods she could not live without and said: ‘I love Gentleman’s Relish on generously buttered toast. I think of it as the savoury version of cinnamon toast, and it is just as comforting, particularly if served on white sliced.’
