original recipe notes almost lost to the trash

http://bit.ly/4zzXcq


"The original recipe notes for Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce have been unearthed in a dumpster near the sauce factory by former company accountant, Brian Keogh. It was unclear why he was digging through the trash."

Does anyone know if the original recipe is especially similar to the stuff Heinz produces today?

According to Wikipedia:

"First made at 68 Broad Street, Worcester, England, by two dispensing chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, the Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and has been produced in the current Midlands Road factory in Worcester since 16 October 1897.[2] In 1930 the business was sold to HP Foods and was subsequently acquired by the Groupe Danone. It was purchased by H.J. Heinz Company in 2005 who continue to manufacture and market "The Original Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce", under the name Lea & Perrins, Inc. Other companies manufacture similar products, often also called Worcester Sauce, and marketed under different brands."

and:

"The ingredients of a traditional bottle of Worcestershire sauce sold in the United Kingdom under the name "The Original & Genuine Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce" are listed as malt vinegar (from barley), spirit vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind extract, onions, garlic, spice, and flavouring. The 'spice, and flavouring' is believed to include cloves, soy sauce, lemons, pickles and peppers. Notes from the 1800s were found by company accountant Brian Keogh dumped in a skip, which he rescued. The documents are to be placed on display at the Worcester Museum. Apart from distribution for its home market, Lea & Perrins also supplies this recipe in concentrate form to be bottled abroad."

From this I gather that, even if Heinz is the maker now, if (and probably only if) the bottle says "Original and Genuine," it is the original formula.

Having done some work for Heinz, I'm guessing they found more convenient/less expensive/differently sourced alternatives to the ingredients in the original version, even though those substitutions may not require changes in the package's ingredient list.

A hint from the official Lea & Perrins website:

Lea & Perrins remains true to the spirit of the original recipe [emphasis mine]

Now that I have a bottle in front of me, the third ingredient listed is High Fructose Corn Syrup. Does anyone really think John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins used HFCS in the original formula?

Still, I like the stuff on occasion.

Yeahbut, which bottle is it that you have in front of you?

I have a bottle of Heinz Worcestershire Sauce here (not to self: in future, task others with buying things like paper towels and toilet paper; buy important cooking ingredients oneself), and the first few ingredients listed are "distilled white vinegar, water, molasses, high fructose* corn syrup, salt, soy sauce ..."

And I have a bottle of Lea & Perrin's Thick Classic Worcestershire Sauce, the first few ingredients of which are "distilled white vinegar, tomato puree (tomato paste, water), Lee & Perrins Worcestershire sauce concentrate (distilled white vinegar, onions, anchovies, salt, garlic, tamarind concentrate, water, cloves, natural flavors, chili pepper extract), high fructose* corn syrup, molasses ..."

But neither of these labels says "The Original Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce," which label (is that the orange one?) I gather can only be used on bottles containing concoctions of the original ingredient list in my previous post, i.e., no high-fructose corn syrup.

* Asterisk mine; it's high-fructose corn syrup, not high fructose corn syrup, grumble grumble

I'm only pursuing this, by the way, because I vaguely recall an episode of "Follow That Food" dedicated to Worcestershire sauce, and I'm trying to figure out if what I'm reading now matches what I think I remember from the show.

I have a bottle of "The Original." The ingredients are: vinegar, molasses, high fructose corn syrup [I agree, Katie, where's the hyphen?], anchovies, water, onions, salt, garlic, tamarind concentrate, cloves, natural flavorings, chili pepper extract. And in case you miss it the first time, below the ingredient list in bold letters: "Contains Anchovies." I guess vegetarians are presumed to be unable to read ingredient lists?

I've had the 20-oz. bottle for a while--bought it in a pair at Costco, which will supply us for the next decade.

Mine says "The Original." I stand by my premise that it's not authentically the original recipe.

nr706 wrote:Mine says "The Original." I stand by my premise that it's not authentically the original recipe.

I am sure you are right!