The conventional British meals out of your childhood that not exist – as Victorian favorite Gentleman’s Relish is axed after 177 years

Gentleman’s Relish has been a staple of traditional pantries since 1849 – having outlasted six monarchs and two world wars.

But owing to dwindling sales, the British anchovy paste – which is also known as Patum Peperium – has finally been discontinued after 177 years, with its manufacturer announcing that production was ‘no longer commercially viable’.

The condiment was created in 1828 by John Osborn, an English grocer who lived in Paris, from a mixture of anchovy fillets, rusk, butter and a secret selection of herbs and spices.

James Bond author Ian Fleming was a fan, and would order the paste when dining at Scott’s, the historic London restaurant, served on toast with scrambled egg – a dish known as Scotch woodcock.

But the Victorian favourite isn’t the only traditional British food from your childhood that no longer exists.

Other 19th century creations that were favoured in the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s before being discontinued include Bath Oliver biscuits.

United Biscuits ceased production of the treat in 2020 after 250 years. The demise was described as a ‘national tragedy’ by one broadsheet newspaper.

Read on to discover the vintage foods that are no longer available today – to the disappointment of fans…  

GENTLEMAN’S RELISH 

Gentleman’s Relish is a spicy, anchovy paste, also known as Patum Peperium, that was hugely popular in Victorian times.

Back in the 19th century, it would be served as a small dish during a dinner party in between larger courses. 

The distinctively fishy taste and mix of spices meant it somewhat fell out of favour over the decades but some continued to enjoy it spread on bread, crackers or toast.

The paste was created in 1828 by John Osborn, an English grocer who lived in France. However, he didn’t market it until 1849, when it was launched at the Paris Food Show.

To make it seem distinguished, he called it Patum Peperium, a sort of mock Latin for pepper pate.

The paste consists of around 60 per cent anchovy and is typically enjoyed spread on hot buttered toast.

AB Foods, which acquired the manufacturing rights to Gentleman’s Relish two decades ago, said: ‘While this Victorian relish has a niche and loyal following, it sadly does not have wider commercial appeal and, despite our best efforts, retailer distribution has dwindled. 

‘With Gentleman’s Relish no longer commercially viable and unable to secure a buyer for the brand, we regrettably stopped production earlier this year.’

BATH OLIVER

Bath Oliver biscuits were first created in the 18th century by Dr William Oliver to help sustain his patients, reported The Telegraph. 

On his deathbed, Dr Oliver, who was based in Bath, hence the name of the biscuits, shared the recipe with his coachman, who then made a fortune from selling the lightly baked wheatflour treats.

Bakers then competed for their production in the 19th century, with the invention being passed to a James Fortt.

When United Biscuits took over the business in the mid-20th century, the Fortt’s name stayed on the packaging. 

But in 2020, production ceased, which one broadsheet newspaper described as a ‘national tragedy’.

Shortly after the news was announced, the Bath Oliver Preservation Society was created. The group was dedicated to the purpose of preserving the original Bath Oliver.

They announced that their campaigning had meant that in December 2020 a short run of Bath Olivers was dispatched to marketplaces in the UK. 

SHIPPAM’S SALMON SPREAD

Once a household staple, Shippams Salmon Spread may no longer be widely available to buy but still boasts an impressive legacy. 

Starting out as local grocer and butcher’s at West Gate, Chichester, the brand has existed since the 1700s and became known for its soups and meaty sandwich spreads including potted beef and salmon. 

The family-owned company was sold to Princes Limited in 2001. 

One Facebook user recenrtly revealed that have a pot of Princes crab paste that is ‘still in date’, adding the expiry is listed as November 2026. #

HEINZ MOCK TURTLE SOUP

Green turtle soup or terrapin soup, made from the meat of turtles, was a popular delicacy enjoyed by politicians, royalty, and the aristocratic set. 

Samuel Birch is credited with serving the first bowl of turtle soup in London, and soon it became a mainstay of dinner tables in posh homes. 

It wasn’t long before Heinz was selling ‘real turtle soup’ – alongside ‘mock’ turtle soup made from calf’s heads – but its widespread consumption meant that turtles were being overfished to feed the demand for the soup. 

Heinz stopped selling turtle soup in the 1970s, when sea turtles were included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

TIT-BITS SAUCE

Tit-Bits Sauce was a staple in British kitchen until the brand was discontinued in 1994. 

Its origins date back to 1915, when JP Fletcher started the brown sauce company after establishing himself as a drysalter or pickle manufacturer. 

While Fletcher, the son of a coal merchant, initially started producing the sauce at the Airedale Works in Shipley after registering his company with a £20,000 share capital in 1907. 

That’s roughly the equivalent of £3.1 million in 2026, according to UK inflation data. 

Fletcher later transferred the production and bottling facilities to a model garden factory in Selby, North Yorkshire, before the company was acquired by Birmingham-based HP Sauce. 

After Fletcher’s death in 1960, HP sold the Selby facility in 1982 and transferred the production of the famed sauce maker’s recipe to their site in Birmingham. 

The sauce was discontinued by HP in 1994 – but its popularity remains at an all-time high today. 

Nostalgic social media users have flooded platforms like X/Twitter and Facebook with comments gushing about the quality of the condiment. 

Writing on a Facebook group dedicated to nostalgic British snacks, one person declared it’s the ‘best brown sauce ever made’. 

TOAST TOPPERS

Whilst not a Victorian favourite, Heinz Toast Toppers, cans of spread for your toasted bread, was still an item popular in the 1970s onwards before being discontinued in 2015.

The tins – which included flavours like Mushroom & Bacon, Ham & Cheese, and Chicken & Mushroom – now sell for more than £50 online, even though they’re past their expiry date, claimed Aimee Foy, via The Sun.

Foy runs a Toast Toppers group on Facebook and told Sky News in 2024 how there is still demand for the cans, with one petition to bring back the products reaching more than 1,000 signatures.

She said: ‘It was tasty, but also really simple and cheap, especially when you compare it to how much you have to spend if you’re getting a meal delivered by Uber Eats or something.

‘It was only around £1 when they stopped doing it, but even at twice that price people would definitely still buy it. It’s obviously not a la carte or anything, but we loved it – and I’m sure that people would jump on it if Heinz did decide to bring it back.’

A Kraft Heinz spokesperson told The Sun: ‘Toast Toppers were a huge hit with Brits back in the ’70s and ’80s, but as consumer tastes and trends evolved, Toast Toppers sadly fell out of favour, so we took the decision to pull them from sale in 2015.

‘It simply wouldn’t have been feasible to continue making them, despite the iconicity of this delicious teatime snack.

‘We don’t have any immediate plans to bring them back, but we’d never say never and have plenty of exciting innovations in the pipeline that we’re confident consumers will love.’

MATTESONS PATE 

UK-based Mattesons became famous in the 70s for two things: it’s ‘Mmmm’ television ads and spreading pates. 

The company was established in 1947 by a German butcher, Richard Mattes, and his son Richard  as they launched a line of continental-style meats. 

One of the most popular products Mattesons launched was a sausage-shaped tube of packaged spreadable pates or ‘Chubs’. 

This included meat pastes made from salmon, chicken, shrimp, bacon, and liver that quickly became a go-to for the nine-to-five crowd. 

The brand was taken over by Unilever in 1965, six years before launching their first pate, before being sold to Kerry Group in 1994.

Today, they are a forgotten food that Britons still hanker for; writing on Facebook, one person said: ‘Nothing tastes like mattessons salmon pate.’ 

Another wrote: ‘Yes salmon and shrimp spread my absolute favourite they also did a liver one I loved.’ 

A third person urged ‘bring them back’ and wrote: ‘Liver and bacon and salmon pate were epic.’