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It is the number one item on Sean Bean’s backstage rider, the Arctic Monkeys jet to the UK just to stock up and Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White is even partial to a dab of the spicy stuff.But it seems the reputation Sheffield’s favourite relish of MP Jim Dowd, who has spoken out in the House of Commons against ‘Henderson’s - who ever they are’.The representative for Lewisham West and Penge accused the beloved bottled stuff - which has a history stemming back to the start of the 19th century - of copying off Lea and Perrins’ Worcestershire Sauce.
Simon Freeman, managing director, said: “I was saddened by his comments. Henry Henderson said out to make a bespoke spicy sauce.“I don’t know how a bottle ended up in a pub in London. I’m ordering an internal investigation to find out how it got out of Yorkshire!”
Care to share your recipe?
It’ll be spicy sauce – not blood – spilled on the battlefields after an MP insulted a Sheffield institution.Henderson’s Relish makers were left with a bad taste in their mouths after Lewisham West and Penge MP Jim Dowd accused them of copying Lea and Perrins’ Worcestershire Sauce.
I suppose they'll come after people like me next. I make my own sauce based on a Regency period recipe for Governour's Sauce that came out of India. I've had Henderson's and I don't think it tastes anything like Worcestershire sauce.
Jim Dowd (Lewisham West and Penge) quickly learned that you can be as rude as you like about Sheffield's rubbish football teams, but diss the city's most famous sauce and you'll have Nick Clegg to answer to.Dowd made his ill judged comments during a debate on intellectual property in the Commons on Monday, where he accused Henderson's of "parasitic packaging”.
Within hours he had received an open letter from the deputy prime minister.Clegg told him: "Henderson’s Relish has been made in Sheffield for over 100 years and is a much loved local institution. Its aroma and flavor are unique. It is used by thousands of Sheffielders and, as Henderson’s appeal grows, many more people throughout the country and indeed around the globe."Given the history behind Henderson’s Relish, I hope you can appreciate that Sheffielders are fiercely proud of it. We are confident it would win in any blind taste test, whether at a pub in Blackheath or anywhere else."Now he has been invited to eat his words over a meal with fellow Labour MP, Paul Blomfield. "This weekend when I’m back in Sheffield I’ll buy a bottle to bring down to Parliament so I can show why it’s so loved. Let’s go for a meal in Parliament, pick any food you like, because Henderson’s Relish goes with everything (but I’d recommend pie and peas)," he said in an open letter posted to facebook.
am writing to you as a Sheffield MP regarding your comments which cited Sheffield’s Henderson’s Relish as an example of how successful brands can be copied and exploited. I can assure you that nothing could be further from the truth.Henderson’s Relish has been made in Sheffield for over 100 years and is a much loved local institution. Its aroma and flavor are unique. It is used by thousands of Sheffielders and, as Henderson’s appeal grows, many more people throughout the country and indeed around the globe.Apart from being a great product, Hendersons is also a prime example of a local business that gives back to their community. Last year they donated 5p from the sale of every bottle to a local hospice as part of their ‘Great Pie and Peas Up’ appeal, which I was also delighted to take part in – not just because it involved eating pie and peas with a sprinkling of Henderson’s Relish. They raised a total of £2,000 for St Luke’s Hospice.Given the history behind Henderson’s Relish, I hope you can appreciate that Sheffielders are fiercely proud of it. We are confident it would win in any blind taste test, whether at a pub in Blackheath or anywhere else.Yours sincerely,Nick Clegg MP
So now you understand why Mr Dowd can expect a lot of this from the good folk of the Steel City
Sheffield’s own Sean Bean once ordered two gallons of the stuff
The barman who served South East London MP Jim Dowd his first taste of Hendo’s said he warned the MP about slagging off the spicy sauce.Hendo’s has become a fixture on the menu and tables at the Hare and Billet since Adam, from High Storrs, took a catering-size bottle down with him. “I don’t think people down here know quite what a big deal it is, but we’ve had people saying they’re Sheffielders in London and they’re going to come here. “I’m going to have to stock up on some more.”