A Very Famous Sauce !. Review on HP Sauce

I remember dining in a most pleasant and congenial restaurant in Brussels some years ago and having a lengthy discussion with the Chef Proprietor. He told me he liked the British very much, he found they were not demanding and also he enjoyed the British sense of humour very much. However, one thing exasperated him: after toiling to produce a delicious Red Wine and Shallot sauce for his Steak Chasseur or a sauce to accompany his Pan Fried Veal his British diners would request the waiter to bring a bottle of HP Sauce, after which they would dollop the brown stuff all over their meal. I tried my best to explain that HP Sauce was part of the “... British Way of Life” – it was in the culinary psyche of many Britons. Savoury dishes to them had to have a dollop of HP Sauce, without it they felt the dish was somehow incomplete. Of course, I added that not all Britons were totally addicted to the brown sauce and some might not even like it. He, however, was utterly convinced that this group constituted a very small minority. HP Original Sauce is arguably the original and most revered brown sauce. It has been produced since 1899 and has very much set the standard for quality. It is nearly everyone’s favourite and its legendary and uniquely distinctive taste sensation is said to be end-result of HP’s dedication to sourcing the highest quality ingredients and reputedly using a closely guarded secret recipe.

Today HP Foods Ltd is no longer British – it is part of the Danone Group, a French company. However, the French company have not changed this traditional British sauce. Its ingredients include Malt Vinegar Tomatoes Molasses Spirit Vinegar Sugar Dates Cornflour Rye flour Tamarind Soy Sauce Onion Extract Spices Salt Every 100g of HP Sauce has: 0.2g fat 27.1g carbohydrate 1.1g protein 507kJ energy HP Sauce shines in the breakfast food department. Practically all restaurants, cafes, and other outlets serving British style fried breakfast stock HP Sauce. Most diners will use this delectable sauce generously with their eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread and baked beans. Harold Wilson, the former British Prime Minister, was a great fan of this sauce and it was even called ... “Wilson’s Gravy.” You will have absolutely no difficulty finding HP Sauce during your shopping expeditions. Neighbourhood grocery shops usually have it on their shelves and all the major supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsburry, Waitrose, Safeway, Asda and Morrison’s Stock this product.

This traditional sauce goes well with a wide range of savoury dishes. It is great for spicing up sausages, fried breakfast, jacket potatoes, baked beans and chip butties. I enjoy it with cold lamb, cold beef and cold chicken with mashed potatoes and, Wilson’s Gravy, I should add it has no artificial colours or preservatives. It is also low in fat and is suitable for vegetarians. Despite the protestations of the Belgian Chef-Proprieter I met in Brussels, I have to give HP Original Sauce a big “thumbs-up”. OK maybe it is not a substitute for his red wine and shallot sauce but it does have a distinctive taste and goes very, very, well with a wide range of traditional British savoury dishes