Here at Thornleys, we love a good condiment. And why wouldn’t we? They’re simple, convenient, and are always on hand to take your recipes to the next level. As far as we’re concerned, condiments win best supporting act at any meal. After all, it surely can’t be a coincidence that the words ‘condiment’ and ‘compliment’ are so similar…
Of course, Worcester sauce is a personal favourite of ours — we like it so much that we went as far as selling it for ourselves. But there are lots of others we love, as well. In fact, it turns out that we live in a country full of condiments. So to celebrate these often overlooked supper sidekicks, we thought we’d take you on a short tour of a few Great British condiments.
Marmite
The mighty Marmite. The one that you love or you hate. At first glance it would seem that there couldn’t be anything more British than Marmite. But this yeasty spreadable actually holds a multi-national heritage — the discovery of concentrating and eating brewer’s yeast is credited to a German scientist, and the name “Marmite” is derived from the French name of the pot that the spread used to be sold in.
English Mustard
It’s hard (and certainly not advisable) to mistake English mustard for the milder varieties. It’s intensely yellow. It’s hot. And it’s not to be underestimated. Though can buy own-brand English mustard from the supermarkets, this particular condiment has nevertheless become synonymous with the Coleman’s brand. It’s a logo, a jar, and a taste that most Brits would recognise a mile off.
Golden Syrup
Who doesn’t have memories of wrestling with the lid on a tin of golden syrup? Though nowadays it’s available in convenient squeezey bottles, its more traditional tin is the stuff of legends — and what’s inside even more so. Unfathomably thick, uncompromisingly sweet, it’s hard to imagine a British kitchen cupboard without a battered old tin of Lyle’s Golden Syrup lurking somewhere in the shadows.
The history goes back to the 1800s, when a man named Abram Lyle turned the syrupy by-product of the sugar refining process (which was usually sold off as pig food) into a product suitable for human consumption. The rest, as they say, is history.
HP Sauce
Named for the Houses of Parliament, an image of which it also bears as its logo, this sauce really needs to introduction. Most of us in the country probably see a bottle of this standing somewhere or other at least once a day. Every day. But it’s an institution.
The original recipe for the sauce was developed in the 1800s by a grocer from Nottingham, who later sold it for £150 to pay off a debt.
Worcester/Worcestershire Sauce
Invented by pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, who went on to found the brand Lea & Lerrins, Worcester sauce is another British cupboard staple. Although it might not be as popular or widely used as some of the other condiments on this list, it’s still a classic, and it will always elevate cheese on toast to new heights.
Speaking of Worcester sauce, if it happens to be one of your personal favourites, and you’ve got some standing around, then why not take a look at these 4 ways to use it — from homemade barbecue sauce to a Virgin Mary mocktail!