Primary Sauce (Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce)

Member Name: stoffy

Product:	Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
Date:	11/05/03 (223 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fanastically versatile, relatively cheap, available everywhere

Disadvantages: not suitable for vegetarians

Ever since that ill fated day in Home-Ecomics class, when I suffered the disappointment of seeing my first apple crumble slide across the linoleum floor in the aftermath of managing to drop my Mum's best Pyrex, I have been something of a reluctant chef.

However, despite the intervening years being peppered with more culinary mishaps, I have now acquired a few weapons in my cookery repetoire that would do Fanny Craddock proud.

Worcestershire Sauce is my particular favourite. A bizarre mix of things that you usually find past their sell-by-date in the back of the cupboard in most households, it has become one of the nation's favourite special ingredients, as is as quintessentially English as Marmite, rain and bad public transport.

Whilst it has spawned imitators, the original Worcestershire sauce was made by Lea and Perrins in the 19th century, and today, still contains the same blend of malt and spirit vinegar, molasses, anchovies, onions, garlic and spices. Best described as a tangy, malty and rich flavour, it is an excellent addition to a whole variety of savoury sauces and dishes.

Whilst the idea of eating anchovies is for some the equivalent of spending an evening playing board games with Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and the Hamiltons, it works strangely well in this combination, and is surely a better use of the tiddlers than on pizzas, where they are generally tossed aside by picky eaters. However, because the brown stuff does contain mashed up little fishies, it should be pointed out that Worcestershire Sauce isn't suitable for strict vegetarians.

So, now for the tasty bit? Here are the best ways, in my humble, near-novice opinion, to get the best out of Worcestershire Sauce...

1) Cheese On Toast

Yep, the good old favourite for students, the lazy, the hungover and the newly-divorced. So blindingly obvious to make, I shan't insult your intelligence by explaining how to put bread under t
he grill, but a combination of grated cheddar and red leicester, combined with a couple of splashes of Worcester Sauce on a slice of Warburtons makes a damn fine snack. Oh, and the bread has to be white for it to really get your juices going. Using something with 'nowt taken out' is just wrong.

2) Chilli Con Carne

Whenever you're entertaining, and fancy putting on something a bit more effortsome than some hastily purchased pie 'n' chips from Angie's Plaice ? down the road, chilli con carne is an excellent choice.

The good thing about chilli is that it can be made the night before, and can also be cooked up the following day if there's any left over, tasting just as good.

Servings shown are assuming 2 hungry people are eating...

1. Slice 1 onion and fry for a few minutes
2. Add 400g or beef mince and fry until brown
3. Drain off any excess fat and add a 500g jar of chilli sauce (Uncle Bens is the best in my humble opinion), half a can of kidney beans and a small can of chopped tomatoes.
4. Add plenty of Worcester Sauce and seasoning
5. Simmer away for half an hour or so
(6. Cover and refrigerate if planning to eat the next day)

Best served with rice, garlic bread, salad and a good beer (and nachos as well if you're hungry!).

The Worcestershire sauce gives the whole dish an added depth that really makes it so moreish.

3) The Ultimate Bloody Mary

Tomato juice, a soupcon of Russian booze and a sauce containing squished fish can be surprisingly tasty when mixed together. This is also a cocktail that can be enjoyed without needing resort to plonking a couple of wooden parasols in it a la Delboy!

1. Mix together the desired quantity of chilled tomato juice and vodka in a quantity of about 5:1. Take note that the '5' part is tomato juice, and the '1' part is vodka.
2. Add a generous splash of Worcestershire s
auce, some cracked black pepper and a little twist of lemon, mix and serve.

Worcestershire Sauce is available from all good retailers around the world in a whole range of sizes. In Sainsbury's at the moment, the 150ml bottle is priced 95 pence, whilst the 290ml and 325ml varieties both sell for £1.75 for some peculiar reason.

In summary, Worcestershire Sauce is something that that everyone should have in their cupboards purely for its versatility and excellent value for money. Just remember to go easy on those Bloody Mary's though...

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