What a sauce: Drinkers will relish Henderson’s new Sheffield pub

The relish has been a permanent feature on Yorkshire dinner tables for generations and its special blend of tamarind, cayenne peppers, vinegar, garlic and cloves has inspired painters, poets and songwriters. Its legion of followers are now spread all over the world.

Henry Henderson blended the first batch of his famous relish way back in 1885, and 130 years later the firm he helped start is still a Sheffield-based family business and still blending his original recipe – a secret known only to three living people.

Just over two years ago the family firm left their former home on Leavygreave Road in the city centre, where the fruity relish had been made since 1940, to a new factory in a business park on the edge of the city.

Since then the former Henderson’s building has been lying empty, but now this landmark site is to be turned into a pub – keeping the Henderson name.

The University of Sheffeld bought the building during the summer and has been talking to Henderson’s about its plans, which have been unveiled today. Keith Lilley, the university’s director of estates and facilities management, says the idea is to keep the character of the original building, including its well known signage.

“The building itself will need a bit of work but it’s more about what was made there. Henderson’s Relish is one of the most recognisable and iconic brands from Sheffield, as is the orange signage, and we want to retain all this heritage.”

The university plans to hold a competition for Sheffield architects to see who can come up with the best designs for the new pub that incorporates the original house at its centre. Lilley says it is hoped that the pub will be open by the end of next year. “It will be full of Henderson’s memorabilia and it will tell the story of the company.”

Speaking yesterday, Pamela Freeman, managing director of Henderson’s, said she was really excited about the plans. “We’re thrilled to be working with the university to keep the spirit of Henderson’s alive and are looking forward to displaying some of the company’s history within the new pub.”

Her son, Simon Freeman, is one of Henderson’s directors and he, as no doubt a lot of locals are, is delighted that the building is being restored. “It was a wrench for us to move away and we thought it would probably get knocked down and replaced with something new and shiny. So for the building to be preserved, and be preserved with Henderson’s name on it, is more than we could ever have wished for,” he says.

“The nice thing for us is that the building is being restored and opened up so that people will be able to go in and see what it was like.”

It’s easy to forget that the building itself became a focal point in the city centre.

“So many artists have painted it over the years and if you do a search online you will find hundreds of pictures taken by photographers. It really is an iconic building in Sheffield.”

Perhaps most importantly it was where all the magic happened. “It was the warehouse, it was where we mixed the relish and where we bottled it,” he says. “Forty years ago the relish was sold out the back of a Land Rover to corner shops, not like today when it’s packed into a fleet of lorries.”

Now Simon is looking forward to the next chapter in the building’s story. “It’s fantastic that it’s being restored ... though anyone going there had better like Henderson’s.”