It's supposedly one of the most famous secrets in the food industry - Colonel Sanders' blend of herbs and spices used to coat the original Kentucky Fried Chicken before it became the KFC it is today. Look online and you'll find several different recipes claiming to be "the one".
However, a Nottingham pub is about to launch a range that could be closer than ever to what the Colonel actually intended - and they reckon it will blow the minds of fried chicken experts. Southbank City has the exclusive rights to use Grace's Original Blend of Spices and the backstory spans the globe from Toronto to Dublin and to Nottingham.
Later this month the pub will be giving away free samples for a week so everyone can try it. The story begins in 1970 when a man called Pat Grace befriended the Colonel in Toronto, Canada. They formed a lifelong bond over their shared love for fried chicken.
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When Pat returned to Ireland he opened a small chain of fried chicken outlets, starting in Dublin, using the spice blend for the chicken coating he’d learned directly from the Colonel - a peppery blend of 12 spices combined with fine breadcrumbs. Colonel Sanders died in December 1980, but in his later years, he became highly critical of the food served by the restaurants he was still the brand ambassador for, as he believed the investment firm who bought the group in the 60s had cut costs and allowed quality to deteriorate.
Back in Ireland Pat was keen to stick to the original formula - true to the Colonel’s legacy. He changed the name to Grace's Fried Chicken and kept the same 12-spice blend for the coating. Recently YouTuber Glen Powell, famous in the fried chicken world, released a video explaining this history and people were understandably astounded to realise that a handful of outlets in Ireland were the only places to get true fried chicken, produced as close to the original recipe as possible.
Tom Holodynsky, Southbank City director, said: "After initially meeting with the English distributors of Grace's Perfect Blend last year I was firstly blown away by the back story and origins of the fried chicken breading which is truly fascinating - but the most important part of it all is the quality of the product and once we sampled that we knew it was truly quality. We had to arrange two more tastings just to make sure.
"We have been working hard behind the scenes to compile a full section on our new menu which is fully dedicated to Grace's Original and on the recommendation of the company themselves have introduced vegetarian and vegan options too as well as of course delicious chicken dishes using local award-winning butchers Owen Taylor & Sons.
"We're delighted to have exclusivity in Nottingham to the original blend and thought the best thing to do was to open this up to the great people of Nottingham for some free sampling so they can fall in love with it just like we have."
Free samples are being given out from Monday, May 30, to Friday, June 3, when customers buy a drink at the pub in Friar Lane.
