I Don't Want To Be Saucy Any More - But I Can't Do Without It! (Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce)

Member Name: Sexy Kay

Product:	Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
Date:	08/08/02 (696 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Taste

Disadvantages: Anchovies

I was dragged inside feeling far from happy dressed in my 'best' clothes that I hated beyond words. Pops still smiled at me. He was always on my side.

"And you can stop your smiling and get your tie on", Gran grumpily instructed him.

Someone 'important' was coming to tea, so Mum, Dad and I had been summoned to attend. I think it was an MP or a Mayor or someone similar, I can't remember now. But I know it meant Gran's special teaset was out, the one with the blue pictures, and there was the inevitable salad, with pink plastic servers, and home baked cakes ready on the table.

I was warned, on threat of never ever having pocket money again, that I had to behave, eat with my mouth closed, not mess about with my food and not leave the table without permission. Pops gave me a sly wink which helped cheer me up a little.

The guest and his wife eventually arrived and everyone was chatting away, ever so politely, but with their eyes on Pops. He'd cut off a sizeable chunk of cheese and was slowly cutting it up very carefully into minute pieces. I could tell from Gran's face that she was none too pleased. Once the cheese was to Pops liking he sprinkled it with Worcestershire Sauce and then started mixing and mashing this with his fork. "How come he's allowed to mess with his food", I wondered. He then commenced to eat the mixture by scooping dollops of it onto a hunk of bread and butter. I could tell he was enjoying it and this was typical of Pops. He didn't really care what anyone else thought, whoever they were.

I still miss him so much.

Since then I've loved Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce. I've used it in so many ways. My favourite is when my boyfriend and I drop our healthy eating for a night and he cooks me veggie sausages, egg, chips, fried tomatoes and mushrooms together with slices of white bread and 'real' butter. Heave
n! I love to sprinkle the sauce everywhere, especially on cut up fried tomatoes and dip my bread in.

But I have a big problem, perhaps you may have guessed what it is already ...

I feel heartbroken and so let down. It's as if my boyfriend had been having an affair with the woman next door (and hadn't allowed me to watch) or I found out that my dad wasn't really my dad. For you see, as is often the case, I was one of the last to accept the truth.

I'm a vegetarian and I now know that - gasp, sob - Lea & Perrins put anchovies in their Worcestershire Sauce. How could I have been so stupid to have been deceived like this - when I've been faithful for so many years? What on earth am I going to do?

At times like when I fancy a Welsh Rarebit. I usually mix butter, mustard, pepper, grated cheese, milk with Worcestershire Sauce ready to spread on bread for toasting - but it won't be the same without the splash of Lea & Perrins, will it? Then there's the soups and veggie casseroles where I sprinkle a few drops to taste. Oh, and my gravy and in the sauce I make for spaghetti. Can I really give this up?

Even my flesh eating boyfriend loves it on steaks, fish and other disgusting things. I've even sprinkled it on my thighs to tempt him, not that they're disgusting of course but ... perhaps I'd better move on quickly.

I presume you are a Worcestershire fan as well. Yes? Just in case you've been missing out, it's a thin, brown, runny sauce that looks similar to Soy but has it's own very distinctive flavour. It's hot, tangy and spicy but has a ying-yang quality about it, with extremes of sweet and bitter combined. It is so lovely!

It's not a sauce that's made in a few minutes - oh no! Like fine wine this has to be matured in large wooden casks over something like two years before it is ready for use. Only Lea & Perrins do this, so it'
s the only brand of Worcestershire Sauce to buy - trust me. They are the experts and the originators.

It all started way back in 1835. A Lord Sandys of Worcestershire (thus the name) came across a sauce, when travelling in India, that tickled his fancy and his palate. When he got home he asked two chemists, John Lea and William Perrin, to duplicate what he had tasted abroad. They failed at first but, for some reason or other, they left their concoction dormant for two years and then decided to have another slurp. Perfection! The secret was to let it mature.

So this sauce is something very special that has been produced commercially for around 165 years. It's stood the test of time and once you've tried it you'll be hooked.

Sprinkle it on a cheese topped jacket potato and pop this back under the grill until it all bubbles and your juices flow with anticipation. It's great for making a spicy chilli sauce or try adding a few drops to a Caesar Salad dressing to bring out the oomph. Sprinkle it all over, let your imagination take you to new Worcestershire Sauce heights. A few drops here, a few drops there. You don't need a lot.

But meanwhile I'm still left with my problem!

How, for instance, can I make a Bloody Mary without Lea & Perrins? I put in the four ice cubes, lemon juice, vodka and tomato juice and then what? It's just got to have a few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce as well hasn't it?

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! I've got a bottle of the tempting elixir before me now, with it's orange label and gold crest stating 'By appointment to Her Majesty the Queen' - see, even Liz likes it on her toasted cheese. And just look how the sauce is so much thicker and darker at the bottom where the spices and goodness are lingering. It's waiting to be shaken and miraculously brought to full flavour.

As the label says, it 'adds instant richne
ss' - and that's exactly what I want in my life.

I'll have to use up this bottle (150ml) and see how I feel then. Will my vegetarianism win?

Mmmmm, I've got some lovely strong mature cheddar. I'll have a chunk later, cut it up small and mix it with Lea & Perrins on a soft bap. The thought of it makes me drool ... sinking my teeth into the softness and awaiting the explosion of flavour ...

You know, I'm not sure that I can do without it.

;-> Kay

Other stuff:

Product
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

Web site
www.lea-perrins.com

Address
Lea & Perrins Limited
Worcester WR5 1 DY

Ingredients
Malt vinegar (from barley), spirit vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies (boo!), tamarinds, onions, garlic, spices.

Summary: