We are all aware of and likely regularly consume HP sauce. It’s the original brown sauce, after all. And it’s certainly delicious. But if you’re like me, you’ve questioned what the HP stands for when looking at the bottle and the artwork. So, here is what you want to know.
So, what does HP sauce stand for? HP stands for ‘Houses of Parliament’ in HP sauce. This citation is due to the fact that the sauce was rumored to be used and served in restaurants there – towards the end of the 20th Century, shortly after being invented and developed in 1899, by Frederick Gibson Garton, a grocer from Nottingham.
That explains the image of the Houses of Parliament, then.
Makes sense now, right?
At least if we are to believe this version of events.
There are others out there, but this is the one the official Heinz website is keen to share.
Nevertheless, this is a sauce and a brand with a lot of history.
In fact, the name dates back to 1895 when the name was first registered.
And it all likely has to do with the fact that a restaurant in the Houses of Parliament had begun serving it.
And this important building has retained its place on the brand’s packaging ever since.
To the point where this amazing fact is true.
If you were to stack up the total number of HP sauce bottles sold in a year – you would have a height equivalent to 6,189 Houses of Parliament!
And while the bottle design has changed over the year, the association with the Houses of Parliament have never faded.
You may notice new imagery over time; the buildings do certainly look bolder and sharper on more recently released bottles than in years prior.
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Hello. I’m Jeremy – an experienced saucier who has worked in some of the top kitchens over the last few decades. With a love for sauces, food, and nutrition, I decided to create WeWantTheSauce. Here I share my knowledge and expertise; from ingredients and recipes to storage all the way through to recommendations for every sauce imaginable.