A Taste of the Past

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One of life's simple pleasures: hot, well-buttered toast with Gentleman's Relish. I was first introduced to this delight at breakfast, in Edinburgh, some forty-two years ago. The rather salty, fishy, anchovy paste, Patum Peperium, was invented in 1828, by one John Osborn, an Englishman. To this day, the recipe is still only entrusted to one employee of its manufacturer, Elsenham. This is by no means the only example of covert comestible constituents of the commercial kind, and one other, very particular and very special example, springs to mind.

I have no idea whether or not it still exists in the form I remember, or if it does, is of the same very particular quality; and judging by the latter involvement of Punch Taverns, I suspect not. But, up until the death of Doris Pardoe in the early mid-eighties, the secret recipe of her legendary home-brewed ale was hers alone: The White Swan in Netherton in the Black Country being both brewery and principal outlet for one of the jewels in the traditional UK brewing crown. Alas, I guess, another nail in the coffin of the long and glorious history of UK public houses and proper ale has been driven home. At least I've got my anchovy toast, though it's very small recompense, to be honest.

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