East Lancashire loses a sarsaparilla master

6:12pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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By Deborah Lewis »

ONE of the country's last remaining brewers of sarsaparilla is set to retire - and end his 56 year association with the drink.

Peter Barnes will also be taking his wealth of natural remedy knowledge when he retires as the owner of R Walsh and Co next year - but he has not given up hop of passing on his expertise before he goes.

Peter, 64, took over the sarsaparilla stall on Blackburn's three-day market 25 years ago, but his association with the firm dates back much longer.

Peter, who lives in Lammack Road with his wife Teresa, said: "I first started working with Walsh's when I was eight years old, moving barrels to earn some money.

"I carried on helping out in my spare time until I left school at 15."

Although he then joined the former Blackburn Corporation as an apprentice joiner, where he worked for 32 years, he carried on helping at Walsh's.

Founded as a herbalist in 1835, R Walsh and Co was originally based in a shop in King Street, which was still open when Peter first started lifting barrels for the then owners, Dicky and Kath Dodd.

The shop is now closed but the Walsh sarsaparilla brewery is still going strong in Hamilton Street.

The Dodds taught Peter how to brew it using the traditional tanks, and he brews fresh supplies of the herbal drink almost every week.

The closely-guarded secret mix of herbs, which come from all over the world, are brewed in boiling water, then strained, before the water is put into tanks and left to ferment.

Peter is currently the only person to know the exact recipe, passed on to him by Dicky when he bought the business, and he will only pass it on to the person who takes the stall over.

He said: "There are a lot of imitations, I see lots of cordials being used, and we're the only place that I know of to brew it in the traditional way, but I've not been everywhere of course."

The secret blend certainly seems to have hit the right note, with hundreds of people flocking to the stall, open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, for a glass or bottle of "sars" every week.

As well as loyal regulars, he gets many people bringing their relatives from the south where sarsaparilla is not made.

"It's busier than it's ever been", said Peter, "herbal remedies are becoming more and more popular."

"I could have a bigger business but I personally don't see the point, as I'm going to retire."

It's not just a glass of "sars" or dandelion and burdock - another favourite - people come to Walsh's for.

After 56 years of working with or in the business, Peter is an oracle of natural health remedies, and advises people on anything from insomnia to warts.

The stall also sells a wide range of traditional oils, balms and remedies.

Peter is hoping that Kieran Daw, 21, who has worked with him for the past four years, will take it over when he retires in March.

"I'd like to sell it as a going concern," said Peter. "I've passed on most of what I know to Kieran and I know he could do it well."

Kieran, from Finch Close, said: "It's a big decision to make but it would be good to carry it on."

Although he is looking forward to stopping work, Peter said he'll miss his "banter" with customers.

"There are some who come every single week, it's definietly the people I'll miss."