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Home » Spreads » The Best Gentleman’s Relish (Patum Peperium) Recipe

The Best Gentleman’s Relish (Patum Peperium) Recipe

Author: Karon Grieve Published : December 2020

Recipe Video
homemade gentlemans relish pin image
gentleman's relish pin image

Rich and savoury Gentleman’s Relish is is a paste made from anchovies. It’s a great British spread to serve on toast or add into cooking recipes. A bit like Marmite, love it or hate it, this old fashioned gentleman’s relish recipe is a classic.

gentlemans relish on toast with jar behind

What is Gentleman’s Relish

As I’ve said this is very much a British spread. It is also known as Patum Peperium and was first created in 1828 by an Englishman called John Osborn. He even won prizes at Parisian food shows for his spread and it was marketed for gentlemen of some standing.

Gentleman’s relish is a spread made with anchovies, butter, herbs and spices. Actually, the company that makes and sells Gentleman’s Relish since 1971 (Elsenham Quality Foods)  keeps the recipe a closely guarded secret.

The inspiration for this recipe

The other day I came across one of the little pots that Gentleman’s Relish traditionally comes in. My Mum used to give both my Dad and my husband a little tub of this tasty paste every year at Christmas.

When you buy it in the fancy ceramic pots it’s a bit of a treat, something special.

Those little pots are collector’s items so it only seemed right to put some of my homemade Gentleman’s Relish into one of the pots that had been given to my Dad oh so many years ago. It brought back so many memories of Christmas in years gone by.

ingredients

Ingredients for traditional Gentleman’s Relish

Anchovies are the star of the show here. I used two little cans of anchovies in oil. You could use the ones that come in a little jar as well of course. Don’t go for anything that has added flavours like chilli.

Butter is your binding agent here. It brings everything together and makes this spread rich and creamy. Actually, you could say that Gentleman’s Relish is really a sort of flavoured butter rather than a type of spread.

Those all-important spices. While the actual recipe for commercial gentleman relish is a secret we can take a pretty good guess at those spices; mace, cinnamon, white pepper and ginger.

The other ingredients I’ve used are capers and lemon just pack in even more flavour to this tasty spread.

How to make Gentleman’s Relilsh

Quite honestly this recipe for Gentleman’s Relish couldn’t be easier. You want to heat the spices first to really ramp up their flavours, this will take you less than a minute.

Then it’s all about melting butter and whizzing the other ingredients into a paste then mixing it all together.

The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

jar showing the ceramic lid in background

Recipe notes

I got two small 150ml jars of Gentleman’s Relish from this recipe.

If you want to make bigger quantities of the spread (it would make a great foodie gift for Christmas) just multiply the recipe to suit what you need.

You can use Cayenne Pepper instead of white pepper in the recipe. I like the taste of white pepper here as it is softer than cayenne but still packs a punch in the flavour department.

How long will this keep?

Homemade Gentleman’s Relish keeps well in the fridge for up to a month once opened and you can freeze it too for up to 3 months.

open pot of spread with toast beside it

How to use this anchovy relish

Don’t just think of Gentleman’s Relish as something old guys in a posh club spread on their toast, far from it. While it does go extremely well spread thinly over unsalted butter on a nice slice of toast it can also be used in other ways.

You can add a little relish into scrambled eggs or even give a Bloody Mary an even bigger flavour hit than usual.

Or I’ll add a little with butter (even though there is already butter in there, you can never have too much butter!) on top of a really good steak and let those flavours seep into the meat.

Finally, serve it is lightly spread under the cheese on a really good toastie.

In cooking

Think of this anchovy butter as an ingredient for making other dishes sing with flavour. Have you ever used anchovies in your cooking? Think of Spaghetti puttanesca, that rich and robust Italian dish of tomatoes, peppers, garlic, chilli and anchovies. 

Although being a member of the fish family anchovies don’t actually taste fishy when you cook with them. They melt into your other ingredients and add depth and character to a dish without you even realising a fish had popped into the pan.

So you can use this Gentleman’s Relish in exactly the same way as you would for adding anchovies to your cooking.

I like to add some to minced (ground) beef in a cottage pie or lamb mince in a shepherd’s pie.

I’ve also used it in my Stuffed Peppers Puttanesca With Feta recipe and my Ratatouille Puttanesca.

Add half a teaspoon of this Patum Peperium relish to salad dressings, especially if you’re making a Caesar salad. Or stir some into your gravy instead of using salt. Remember, anchovies are salty little creatures.

This recipe makes a great foodie gift, so why not check out my post on how to make Christmas hampers.

larder links

Looking for more spreads to make at home? Then check these out before you go;

Mediterranean smoked mackerel pate

English potted cheese

Pear walnut and blue cheese spread/dip

Fromage Fort (French-style potted cheese)

Vegetarian mixed nut pate

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

 
Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.
gentlemans relish on toast with jar behind

Gentleman’s Relish

Karon Grieve
A very traditional anchovy butter spread that is wonderful on toast and great for cooking too
4.87 from 15 votes
Print Recipe Comment Bookmark Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Course appetisers
Cuisine British
Servings 20 servings
Calories 50 kcal

Equipment

  • small pan, mini food processor

Ingredients
 

  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • 1/2 tsp ground mace
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
  • 100 g anchovies drained
  • 2 tsp capers drained
  • 1 lemon (zest and juice)
Metric – US Customary

Instructions
 

  • Heat the spices in a dry pan for about 1 minute then remove from heat and add the vegetable oil to bring the spices together as a little paste
  • Add butter to the pan and let it melt into the spice paste and stir to combine
  • blitz the anchovies and capers in mini food processor along with the lemon juice and zest and add mixture to the pan with butter and spices and mix thoroughly
  • spoon into either one sterilised jar or two smaller jars
  • Put the jars in the fridge to set up. There will be a coating of butter on top once it sets, use a small spoon to stir this back through the spread.
  • This gentleman's relish will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months

Video

Notes

You can use a mortar and pestle to grind up the anchovies and capers if you don’t have a food processor, or just mince them as small as possible with a small sharp knife.
I got 2 x 150g jars from this recipe and worked out the calories as there being 20 servings altogether from the jars. I use about 1 tbsp as a serving of Gentleman’s Relish.
This will keep in the fridge for up to a month once opened and will store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 190mgPotassium: 35mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 125IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg
My Top Tips*Always read the full recipe first. *Assemble all your ingredients and everything you need before you start. *For baking check the size of tins I’m using as this makes a big difference to your cakes. * I use medium sized eggs unless otherwise stated. * I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise stated. * I use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated. * Check out My Preserving Kit!
Tried this recipe?Mention @LarderLove or tag #LarderLove

Filed Under: ALL RECIPES, Fish and Seafood Recipes, Spreads

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Comments

  1. Dot says

    January 8, 2021 at 4:14 pm

    I made this for my Christmas hampers. I found it tasty, but having never tried the original had no point of comparison. My brother said it was delicious and ‘better then the bought stuff’. So – success! Thanks! Making the second batch now, as he pointedly mentioned that he had already eaten all his Christmas supply!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      January 9, 2021 at 9:36 am

      Hi Dot,
      Thrilled to hear that my Gentleman’s Relish was such a hit in your Christmas hampers. looks like your brother will have you making this for him on a regular basis!
      K

      Reply
  2. Dot says

    January 8, 2021 at 4:15 pm

    5 stars
    Sorry, I forgot to click on the stars – would have been a 5!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      January 9, 2021 at 9:36 am

      Thanks for the stars Dot!
      K

      Reply
  3. CarlyL says

    January 19, 2021 at 12:58 am

    5 stars
    Excellent!!

    I have never had the original, so I cannot compare. After no luck trying purchase in the states I came across this recipe. It is Fabulous! Thank you

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      January 19, 2021 at 8:37 am

      Hi Carly
      Really hope you enjoy this once you’ve made it. Remember it’s great for cooking too instead of using anchovies in a recipe so really useful too.
      K

      Reply
  4. Joyce says

    January 25, 2021 at 11:02 am

    5 stars
    I have a roasted tomato and walnut pesto recipe that calls for anchovies. I can’t wait to replace the anchovies with this favorite.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      January 25, 2021 at 12:00 pm

      Hi Joyce
      Glad you like the recipe. It is so useful to have around.
      K

      Reply
  5. David says

    February 21, 2021 at 7:07 pm

    You haven’t thought this through:given that it’s 50% highly salted anchovies why bother with unsalted butter?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      February 22, 2021 at 8:44 am

      How rude of you to say ‘you haven’t thought this through’. Of course, I am well aware of the salt content in anchovies. I always use unsalted butter in my recipes so that I am in control of the salt content myself. And as for ‘why bother with unsalted butter’ The reason being use unsalted so you are not adding even more salt!

      Reply
      • Lou Berkley says

        February 25, 2021 at 6:25 pm

        5 stars
        Hi Karon,
        Thanks very much for posting this recipe, which I’ve been wanting to take a swing at for quite a while, having delved into collecting ‘pot lids’. You’ve saved me a lot of guessing!
        Thanks also, for NOT putting up with the ubiquitous armchair critics, who never seem to exercise their curiosity, intellect, or gratitude!

        Reply
        • Karon Grieve says

          February 26, 2021 at 8:40 am

          Hi Lou
          Thanks so much for your great comment. I just love those ‘pot lids’, some of the really old ones are incredible. Thanks for the backup on the previous comment. I do get a bit miffed at some people who seem to think it is acceptable to be rude online.
          Hope you will make the Gentleman’s Relish and thoroughly enjoy it.
          K

          Reply
    • Alan says

      September 17, 2022 at 1:12 pm

      5 stars
      UN-salted butter, not salted butter, as in butter with no salt in, as there is enough in the anchovies.

      Reply
      • Karon Grieve says

        September 20, 2022 at 8:09 am

        Hi Alan
        Thanks for backing me up. That man’s comment was just rude but alas there is a lot of that on the internet these days.
        K

        Reply
  6. Dan Sutton says

    August 6, 2022 at 6:01 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe sounds incredible, i can’t wait to try it…. the possibilities are endless. Buttered noodles, steak butter, sauteed vegetables.
    Thank you for posting this recipe!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      August 8, 2022 at 11:00 am

      Hui Dan
      Hope you enjoy the recipe when you try it.
      K

      Reply
  7. Merce says

    February 25, 2023 at 9:14 pm

    5 stars
    Slightly amended the recipe based on what I had but my oh my how delicious! This will become a staple in our house, I am so glad I happened across your recipe!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      March 1, 2023 at 11:32 am

      Hi Merce
      So glad you liked the recipe so much and that it will become a staple in your house.
      K

      Reply
  8. Scott says

    March 9, 2023 at 6:54 pm

    Hi Karen,
    Just a followup comment. I jumped in and made this before I gave you time to answer my last comment and OMG! This is definitely a new favorite!!!! Thank you so so much for posting this and opening my eyes to this incredible new taste!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      March 13, 2023 at 9:29 am

      Hi Scott
      Glad you liked the gentleman’s Relish recipe so much.
      All best
      K

      Reply

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