Lea & Perrins
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryFood
Founded1837 (1837)
FoundersJohn Wheeley Lea
William Henry Perrins
Headquarters
Worcester
,
UK
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsCondiments
Parent
Websiteleaandperrins.co.uk

Lea & Perrins (L&P) is a United Kingdom-based subsidiary of Kraft Heinz, originating in Worcester, England where it continues to operate. It is best known as the manufacturer of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce,[1][2] a condiment first invented and sold in 1837 by chemists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins from Broad Street, Worcester.

It was inspired by Marcus Sandys, 3rd Baron Sandys who had served in Bengal. He tasted a fish sauce there and asked Lea and Perrins to recreate it but it was putrid until it lay fermenting for three years. It is currently produced in the Midland Road factory in Worcester that Lea and Perrins built. The sauce was first imported to the United States by the Duncan family of New York in 1839 and they continued to be involved for over a hundred years.[3] A subsidiary in Pittsburgh currently manufactures an American version of the recipe.[4]

Worcestershire sauce

American trade card for Lea & Perrins, c. 1880

Worcestershire Sauce is produced at the Midland Road factory in Worcester, built by Lea and Perrins. Midland Road was named after the Midland Railway, the factory originally having rail sidings to provide raw materials and distribution.

Ingredients

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce UK and US recipes differ slightly in that the UK recipe uses malt vinegar while the US version uses distilled white vinegar. Also, the US version used high fructose corn syrup until 2011 when they reverted to sugar due to health concerns; the UK version has always used sugar. The UK version is sold in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.[5] The US version contains three times more sugar and slightly more than three times as much sodium per one-third ounce. While the UK version references the 18 month aging process prominently on the front label of the bottle and in ad copy, the US bottle does not mention aging. The Kraft US website does reference aging but does not state how long it is aged for. Lea & Perrins uses a distinctive paper wrapper for the version sold in the United States. In the UK, the bottle is known to consumers for its shape and the orange and black label.

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
150 mL bottle, 2011
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy405 kJ (97 kcal)
21 g
0.9 g
0.8 g
per 100 mL; serving size is 5 mL
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

The precise recipe has been a trade secret, but an original 19th-century list of ingredients was found in a skip at the factory in 2009 and includes vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind extract, onions, and garlic and other ingredients which may include cloves, soy sauce, lemons, pickles and peppers.[6][7]

Other products

An 1846 advertising pamphlet by Lea & Perrins showcase their pharmacy's preparation of "Dr. Locock's Lotion for the Growth of the Hair," "Taraxacum" (dandelion coffee), and "Essence of Coffee," along with Worcestershire sauce.[8]

While Kraft only markets a single variety of Worcestershire sauce under different sizes in the UK and in Canada,[5] a few more products are marketed under the L&P brand in the United States. These include a reduced-sodium version of the sauce, a steak sauce, and marinades in peppercorn and vinaigrette flavours.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Intellectual Property Office - Case details for trade mark UK00002270072". www.ipo.gov.uk. 15 May 2001. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Intellectual Property Office - Case details for trade mark EU002552107". www.ipo.gov.uk. 28 January 2002. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "When Ransom Duncan Hits the Sauce, You Can Bet It's His Family's Famous Worcestershire | PEOPLE.com".
  4. ↑ Lea & Perrins, Inc., P.O. Box 57, Pittsburgh, PA
  5. 1 2 "Products - Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce". Kraft Canada. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  6. ↑ "Worcestershire Sauce". Cook's Info. 17 October 2002. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "Recipes for Secret Sauce Emerge". BBC News. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. ↑ Dr. Lockon's Lotion for the growth of the hair: prepared by Lea et Perrins, chemists. Le Blond and Company print. 1846.
  9. ↑ "Products". leaperrins.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lea & Perrins.

52°11′25″N 2°12′33″W / 52.1902°N 2.2092°W / 52.1902; -2.2092

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.