Yorkshire Day
Did you know that Yorkshire is home to the oldest city in the British Isles (Ripon), has more Michelin Star restaurants than any other county (with the exception of London) and that if Yorkshire had competed separately in the 2012 Olympic Games, they would have finished 12th overall in the global medal table? Yorkshire is also home to ‘The Pink Princess of the North’, Rhubarb, which inspired our best-selling Rhubarb Rhubarb! collection. This month marks National Yorkshire Day and to celebrate we wanted to share the inspiration behind our Rhubarb Rhubarb! fragrance and its Yorkshire heritage.
The Yorkshire Triangle
Our story starts in an eight-mile stretch between Wakefield and Leeds known as the ‘Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle’ or ‘Pink Patch’. In the 1920s there were more than 200 Rhubarb growers in the area and a dedicated Rhubarb train, known as the Rhubarb Express, ran from Leeds to Kings Cross to transport this celebrated crop to London and other capital cities across Europe. Sadly, cheap Dutch Rhubarb imports meant most of the Yorkshire Rhubarb growers went out of business and the last Rhubarb train left Leeds in 1966.
The High Priestess of Rhubarb
Today only a small number of British Rhubarb growers remain but the majestic pink crop is making a resurgence. E Oldroyd & Sons is headed by Janet Oldroyd, who is affectionately known as the ‘high priestess of Rhubarb’. E Oldroyd & Sons was founded in 1930, when Janet’s great-grandfather, who had been a Strawberry farmer, came to Yorkshire and started growing Rhubarb.
Originally a medical scientist, Janet was persuaded to join the family business by her father.Drawing on her medical knowledge, she quickly changed how the business propagated Rhubarb by using a scalpel rather than a knife.
A Dark Secret
One of Yorkshire Rhubarb’s unique qualities is how it is grown. It loves the embrace of the Northern winter but perhaps most remarkably it is grown in pitch-black forcing sheds and is harvested by candlelight. This method means Yorkshire Rhubarb is in season over winter and gives the crop its distinctive cerise hue, long stems and delicate flavour. Outdoor-grown summer Rhubarb tends to be striped with green and has wider, more fibrous stems.
A Pink Tonic
Native to Siberia and developed from a plant called Rheum Rhabarbarum, Rhubarb been used as medicine for thousands of years. Rhubarb is naturally high in antioxidants and has been prized for its cleansing properties.
The Original Rhubarb Fragrance
Inspired by the bittersweet notes of Yorkshire Rhubarb, we created the very first Rhubarb fragrance in 2011. Reminiscent of a Yorkshire morning in spring, Rhubarb Rhubarb! has a tart green fragrance. Bright and complex, its fresh and bitter notes of Rhubarb are complemented by Rosemary and crushed Tarragon to create a memorable and surprisingly crisp aroma.
Our Rhubarb Rhubarb! fragrance is available in a range of products from Hand Wash, Sanitiserand Lotion to Bath & Shower Gel, Body Lotion and home fragrance including luxurious Scented Candles, Room Fragrance and Fine Fragrance Reed Diffusers. You can discover the collection here.
