Man designs packaging for rediscovered ‘Henley sauce’

A MAN who rediscovered an old recipe for a “Henley sauce” wants to see it make a comeback.

Designer Richard Hill has created a brand concept and packaging for “Henley Sauce Co” to revive a Victorian-era condiment.

Mr Hill, 57, first came across the sauce in an advert in A Guide To Henley Upon Thames and its Vicinity, which was first published in May 1838 by Simpkin and Marshall. It was dedicated to WPW Freeman Esq, the then Lord Mayor of Henley.

He described the book as a Victorian version of the Lonely Planet guide and the advert for the sauce said it contained the essence of anchovies and pickles and cost one and a half shillings.

The guide describes the condiment as needing “a trial to recommend itself” and “one of general utility, being equally adapted for fish, steaks, game dishes, hashes, cold meats, enriching gravies etc.”

Mr Hill came across the guide whilst sorting out boxes of books left at his home in Binfield Heath by his daughter Eleanor, 29, who he believes must have come across the book in a charity shop while a student at The Henley College.

Immediately intrigued by the poster on page 111, detailing a “Henley Sauce”, he decided to mock-up a concept for it.

Mr Hill, who works as a creative director at a design and architecture agency near Harwell, said: “We moved house about a year and a half ago and, when you do that, you stumble on all kinds of things that you didn't think you had and this was one of them.

“Eleanor was visiting us a couple of months ago and bought some books with her and asked if we could do a swap because she's currently living on a boat and so hasn't got a lot of space. I was flicking through the book and saw that advert at the end and I just thought, ‘Wow, who knew that there was a Henley sauce?’”

The edition of the book found by Eleanor, who now works as an architect in London is, in fact, not an original but a later facsimile produced by a Julian Berrisford of Bell Street.

Mr Hill said that he has not yet tried to make the sauce himself but believed it to be similar to Lea & Perrins, Hendersons or HP. He said: “I was tempted to try and make some but I think that's a little bit beyond my capabilities.

“I've dabbled with rose hip syrup and making jams and all that kind of stuff but certainly not on an industrial scale and certainly nothing involving anchovies. I think I might have been kicked out of the house if I started boiling that sort of stuff up in the kitchen.

“I guess at the time there was probably a secret recipe and who knows what ended up going in it. It could have been puppy dog tails for all we know. But the advert alludes to anchovies and other things, so I would imagine it was a kind of piquant, strong-tasting sauce.”

For the crest-shaped label on the front of the bottle, Mr Hill said he had taken design inspiration from the enclosure pins used each year at Henley Royal Regatta. The logo he designed features two gothic cross shapes joined together to create a “H” shape.

Mr Hill has conceptualised three versions of the logo that could be used for three versions of the sauce, garlic and chilli, pepper and cayenne and clove and anchovy, all of which feature different “font fabrics” developed in collaboration with a typeface designer Ani Dimitrova.

Mr Hill, who lives with his wife Rachel with whom he has two other grown-up children, Christopher and Edward, said that he would love it if someone could take the project to the next level.

He said: “If someone wanted to make it, it would be amazing. Honestly, it would be such a blast. There must be lots of people locally who are into that kind of business locally, or it might be a pub, or it might be a chef.

“I guess the idea was that if someone wanted to pick it up and run with it I’d be happy for them to use the branding, use the labelling and help move things onto maybe a commercial footing. It might be a bit ambitious but who knows?

“I haven’t been able to track down an old bottle of it or anything but maybe if someone was to dredge the Thames at some point, some would probably turn up. It would be really hilarious if suddenly somebody turned up with an original bottle with a label on it.”