Meet Gordon Rhodes

It’s time to pack your suitcase and explore how one man’s adventures led to the creation of some of the tastiest products available for today’s time challenged cooks! So settle in for Gordon’s GReat Adventure…

The adventure begins! In a small town in West Yorkshire, Gordon Rhodes was born.

At the young age of 21, Gordon sets off on his first GReat adventure across Europe, armed with nothing more than a few essentials and his beloved diary.From sampling the fine herbs in France to the pungent paprika of Spain, Gordon fast developed a love of food and the ingredients used to make the local dishes.

Ooh lala… Seeing the romantic city of Paris clearly rubbed off on Gordon! Shortly after his return, Gordon met the love of his life, Gwynneth.

The two newlyweds set off on their Honeymoon– A train trip across Europe! Little did Gwynneth know the adventures Gordon was planning for them, including a few quests for herbs and spices along the way…

Holidays soon became somewhat of a shopping trip! With Gwynneth and their two children by his side, the family would often travel many Rhodes across the globe, returning home with pockets full of herbs and spices to recreate some of the delicious dishes they tasted whilst away!

Gordon and Gwynneth travelled Pharaoh and wide on a cruise along the River Nile in Egypt, which also included a few unscheduled stops at the old Egyptian markets to pick up some famous Egyptian basil!

Gordon loved sharing his delicious recipes with friends and his now growing family. Whilst reminiscing about the Dalaman sage he had once smelt in the Turkish markets, an idea suddenly popped into Gordon’s head…

Inspired by his wordly adventures, Gordon started selling seasoning, spice and all things nice to the local butchery trade, sharing his exotic tales along the way…

Gordon’s charm was somewhat rubbing off on the local butchers who were keen to taste more of Gordon’s exotic blends. This called for another trip, this time a little further afield to sample some of the delights that India had to offer.

It was time for Gordon’s son to take over the family business. Although Gordon retired from his days of selling, he certainly didn’t retire from adventure, or bringing back lots of exotic herbs and spices as souvenirs!

In a dusty corner in an old attic there was an old book … but not just any book… why, it was Gordon’s Diary! Filled with recipes, tales and a plethora of exotic blends, it was time for these to be shared! Alas, The Gordon Rhodes (GR) brand was born.

Just one year after, Gordon’s rubs, crumbs and sprinkles we’re first unveiled, which lead to GR winning the 2012 Deliciously Yorkshire Best Innovation Award!

Gordon’s legacy was spreading! These top-notch companies couldn’t resist stocking the GR range- John Lewis, Fortnum and Mason, and Wholefoods.

Yet another award, this time CoolBrand 2013/14 Status! Time to celebrate by planning the next delicious recipe to release and it’s going to be Drop Bread delicious…

Our Drop Bread Gorgeous Sauce Mix wins a Gold Star 2014 Great Taste Award. We also revealed Gordon’s secret recipes for Jolly Fine Stuffing – just in time for Christmas!

Slow and Steamy Moroccan Lamb Tagine and American Style Pig Easy Pulled Pork join the Gourmet Sauce Mix family!

In true Gordon style, GR went on a continental adventure, this time to Paris to exhibit at Sial – the international food exhibition.

We say Howdy to Sticky Brisket Beef without the Grief & a French classic, Bish Bash Posh Sausage Cassoulet!

Gordon loved travelling to South America and tasting all the Chillis. What better way to spice things up a little than with some Wicked Hot Rubs!

Our Wicked Hot Rubs were obviously too hot to handle as the whole of the production site burnt to a cinder! But with true Yorkshire grit and determination a new temporary site was found within a matter of days and production was up and running again! Thankfully no one was hurt and Gordon’s recipe books were saved!

Never letting up on his culinary journey, this time Gordon sought inspiration from Mexico, Sweden and Italy and our first foray into the wonderful world of meatballs, with the launch of our sensationally saucy Meatball Meal Kits.

Never one for sticking around for long, Gordon is currently itching to get going again and is packing his bags for his next exciting flavour exploration!

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