Worcestershire Sauce has been made here since the factory was built in 1897, using a recipe reputed to have been brought into the country by the former Governor of Bengal, Marcus Lord Sandys.

The story goes that on return from India to his native Worcester, Lord Sandys took the recipe to a pair of Victorian gentlemen called John Wheeley Lea and William Perrins, who owned a pharmacy in Broad Street, Worcester.

They made up the sauce from the ingredients given and discovered it tasted... horrible.

"They found it to be quite horrible and put it into jars in the cellar and left it there for some years," said Ray Robinson, factory manager.

"Some years later, on clearing the cellars, they rediscovered the jars and before throwing them away, decided to taste the sauce again.

"They discovered to their delight that the ageing process had transformed the mixture into the delicious savoury sauce we all know and love," he added.