Classic British condiment discontinued after nearly 200 years as fans bid farewell to divisive culinary icon

In a statement, the firm said it recognised the Victorian relish's "niche and loyal following" - but admitted it no longer held the "commercial appeal" needed to keep it going.

"Despite our best efforts, retailer distribution has dwindled," it said.

"With Gentleman's Relish no longer commercially viable and unable to secure a buyer for the brand, we regrettably stopped production earlier this year."

The spread had appeared in a sandwich in Ian Fleming's "For Your Eyes Only", though is most commonly enjoyed smeared thinly on toast like Marmite.

Its packaging, now plastic rather than ceramic, warns diners to apply it "very sparingly".

The paste, also known as patum peperium, is made of butter and anchovies with spices, a similar makeup to the Italian dish bagna cauda.

It was invented by John Osborn, an English grocer living in Paris, in 1828.

But when news of its demise was revealed by The Spectator, loyal fans emerged to bid it farewell.

Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson said she would have to resort to a homemade version, adding: "As long as I have access to anchovies and butter, I'm happy."

Restaurateur Jeremy King told The Guardian his chefs would remake it at his London restaurant Simpson's.

"We actually make our own, due to the difficulty in obtaining, so are able to continue to serve it," he said.

"My chef found and adapted a classic Victorian recipe for patum peperium... It is similar to mass-produced versions, but dare I say, I prefer it."

Mr King revealed he would like to sell it as a takeaway dish, but "sadly we can't as that would require all sorts of health and safety packaging and labelling".

Former diplomat Ameer Kotecha, who wrote in defence of the spread last year, told GB News it was "a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it thing", though has described it elsewhere as a British culinary treasure.

Mr Kotecha also revealed he has written to AB World Foods to try to salvage it.

In his letter, he hails the spread as "no mere condiment, but a living artefact of British gastronomic history", and said withdrawing it from shelves was "profoundly regrettable".

He went on to ask whether the firm would reconsider its position or explore alternative arrangements like licensing or small-batch production in a bid to keep it alive past its 200th birthday.

If that fails, he said, AB World Foods should consider releasing the recipe to the public so as it would not be lost entirely.