HP Sauce Takeover

From the collection of

Media Archive for Central England

MACE is the strategic lead organisation for screen heritage for the East and West Midlands regions. An independent charity based at University of Lincoln, MACE preserves and makes accessible a collection of more than 100,000 historic moving images representative of the diverse cultures and histories of communities throughout the heart of England from the Lincolnshire coast to the Welsh border.

HP Sauce Takeover (Central News East)

An iconic Midlands brand crosses the English Channel.

HP Sauce is the embodiment of Britishness, named after the 'H' and 'P' of the Houses of Parliament - prime minister Harold Wilson was reportedly a big fan. This vinegar-based condiment was for many years a proud product of Aston in Birmingham, but had in fact originated at New Basford in Nottingham. It made the move west when its creator, Frederick Garton, had a debt called in by the Midland Vinegar Company and was forced to part with his secret recipe.

We join the story in 1988 when HP was taken over again, this time by French food giant BSN. John Mitchell finds out what this might mean for the popular sauce (jokes about the French and garlic were still the norm back then).

Little did they realise that HP would be on the move again a few years later, when a takeover by Heinz would lead to this most British of products being made in the Netherlands.

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From the collection

Nice as Pie: Food Across the Midlands

Hearty food from the heart of England.

Food is so much more than a fuel. What we choose to eat is in some part shaped by our shared community and culture. The pies, puddings and cheeses of England's Midlands are the products of recipes passed down through the generations - they literally couldn't have been made anywhere else. For Stilton cheese, with its origins in 1720s Leicestershire, this was made official in 1992, when it was given 'Protected Designation of Origin' (PDO) status. Only cheese made using milk from the cows of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire can be labelled 'Stilton' - serious stuff! These films will take you on a journey through a Midlands menu. You can sample pork pies in Melton Mowbray, with a dollop of Birmingham's HP Sauce on the side. In the Black Country you might go for Groaty Pudding, followed by the sweetness of Derbyshire's Bakewell pudding (definitely not a 'tart'), finishing with a Blue Bird toffee from Worcestershire. But if this all sounds a bit too traditional, why not pop into Nottingham's Chinese Supermarket, where a heady taste-experience awaits? Hope you've got an appetite - It's time to savour the flavours of the Midlands.

13 videos in this collection

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Bakewell's Famous Pudding

  • Bakewell
  • 1985
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Blue Bird Toffee Factory

  • Hunnington
  • 1983
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Pork Pie Month

  • Melton Mowbray
  • 1984
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Black Country Bonfire

  • Dudley
  • 1982
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HP Sauce Takeover

  • Aston
  • 1988
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Chinese Supermarket in Nottingham

  • Nottingham
  • 1985
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Battle of the Oatcakes

  • Stoke-on-Trent
  • 1992
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The Secret of Market Drayton Gingerbread

  • Cheswardine
  • 1993
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Vale of Evesham Asparagus

  • Badsey
  • 1992
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Black Country Food

  • Netherton
  • 2002
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Leicester Sweet Shop

  • Leicester
  • 1984
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Chinese New Year Food

  • Digbeth
  • 1983
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Famous Fish and Chip Shop

  • Market Harborough
  • 1985
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