Anyone who has ever dieted will know that as soon as hunger strikes, you begin to fantasise about food. Visions of crumpets dripping in butter and gooey chocolate cakes beset you. A useful diversion tactic is a slice of hot, buttered toast, thinly spread with Patum Peperium, The Gentleman's Relish. Somehow, this lightly spiced anchovy paste instantly satisfies taste buds craving excitement.
However, a word of warning, Gentleman's Relish is an acquired taste. One look at the sludgy paste is enough to deter many. And then there is its pungent smell. Brave men have been known to blanch at it. Yet, once these initial reservations are overcome, you will discover a delicate paste that rivals Marmite in its deliciousness.
Opinions differ as to how and when you should eat Gentleman's Relish. According to the Ritz, breakfast is the time to enjoy its piquant flavour, preferably on thinly sliced, brown toast. I prefer to eat it for tea, on white toast with a little mustard and cress. Mrs Beeton suggests that anchovy paste is usually spread on toast as 'an excellent bonne bouche which enables gentlemen at wine-parties to enjoy their port with redoubled gusto'.
It was originally created in 1828 by John Osborn, an English provision merchant in Paris. Like any good marketing man, he created a grandiose name from a fictitious fudge of Latin and Greek implying pepper paste, to tempt his fashion-conscious customers into buying it. It only became known as Gentleman's Relish once his son brought the business to London. According to Elsenham, its current manufacturer, it is still made according to the original recipe. It imports the finest Spanish anchovy fillets, which have been packed in barrels of salt and left to mature for 18 months. Once suitably fruity, they are rinsed in brine and gently cooked before being cooled and blended with butter and rusk. A secret blend of spices and herbs is then added.
Elsenham recommends eating it within six weeks of opening, which is impossible if you buy a large pot. Clearly, a few rumbustious drinking evenings are required once the diet is completed.
