Would that be thick or thin, Sir?

This little willow pattern advertising plate, dating from around 1870, sits on our side-board and helps remind me that although I've spent almost all my life in Scotland I was fortunate enough to be born in Yorkshire.

The celebrated Yorkshire relish, be it thick or thin, was a sauce made in Leeds by Goodall, Backhouse and Company. They were exceedingly good at blowing their own trumpet claiming their sauce to be, quite simply, The Most Delicious, Cheapest and Best Sauce in the World. It was certainly popular given that in the 1880s they were selling 6 million bottles a year, at a cost of 6d, 1s or 2s.

Goodall, Backhouse were established in 1837, and produced a range of products, including not only the iconic Yorkshire Relish but also baking powder, mushroom ketchup, and ginger beer powder

The success achieved by the company in building up the brand name meant that in the 1890s the company was prepared to take a rival sauce manufacturer to court to protect its brand. Holbrook and Co had started to produce a sauce that it also called Yorkshire Relish, but this was not to last, as eventually the House of Lords ruled that only Goodall, Backhouse was entitled to use the term Yorkshire Relish.