Sheffield man travelled the world giving out hundreds of bottles of Henderson’s relish

A man from Sheffield spent £2,000 giving out free bottles of Henderson’s Relish to people he met, from Norway to China.

Stephen Burke started his mission in 2006 to share the Sheffield staple whilst working as a Royal Navy Sailor.

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Mr Burke, a 43-year-old Civic Office Manager, said: “There’s a lot of Henderson’s knocking around the world now thanks to me.”

During his first deployment, he visited 21 countries and decided to stockpile several hundred bottles of Henderson’s on the ship. At every stop, all around the Mediterranean, Black Sea, through the Suez Canal and into the Arabian Gulf, he gave as many people as he could a bottle of the relish.

He said: “There was always a box of it in my locker or in my cabin.”

He decided to take Henderson’s with him on his deployment because it’s one of the things he associates with growing up in Sheffield.

He said: “It was always a staple on the dining table, and I attach Henderson’s with the sentimental idea of being warm and cosy.

“It’s something you can talk about, which then allows you to talk about the city, which I am incredibly proud of.

“I totted up just before I left the Navy in 2021, I visited 151 countries and I’d say at least two thirds of these have had a bottle of Henderson’s Relish delivered to them by myself.”

He has continued his mission to share Henderson’s in his new job at the Civic Office. Three bottles of the relish can even be found in the “Made in Sheffield” cabinet in the town hall, thanks to Mr Burke.

He said: “Without having them in there, it wouldn’t be right.”

As part of the Lunar New Year celebrations, he gave some bottles of Henderson’s to a delegation from Chengdu in China. He also gave some to a South Korean delegation and a mayor from a Norwegian town.

Mr Burke said he has given out close to 1,000 bottles of Henderson’s relish over the years. He has only been in his current role for four months but has already given out around 60 bottles.

When asked the cost of this, he said: “Not a small amount, I dare say, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s money well spent as far as I’m concerned.”

He admitted he had likely spent upwards of £2,000.

“I don’t even look at the price, I just buy the stuff,” he said.

His favourite meals to have with Henderson’s relish are Shephard’s pie, spaghetti bolognese, and his most recent discovery of Henderson’s in mushy peas. He recommends everybody tries Henderson’s relish with a korma.

He said: “Other than jelly and ice cream, it goes with pretty much anything.

“It’s quite fun to be able to meet lots of different people in this job, like I did previously, and still get to tell people about the amazing things Sheffield has.

“I could spend the rest of my life talking about how amazing Sheffield is, and how amazing some of the people who live here are.”