Today I’d like to introduce you to Kev Ryan, a kindred spirit whos talents have allowed him to capture this fabulous photograph.

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Strolling through the town of Melton Mowbray – famous for Pork Pies, Pet Food and the expression ’Painting the Town Red’ (Clint Eastwood eat your heart out) – I chanced upon this window advertising the major rival of Daddies Favourite Sauce. The Houses of Parliament brand still smacks a little of the spice and ‘achievement’ of Empire – a dark brown sauce that lifted the pale meat and vegetables of England to new heights!

Judging this guy’s avid concentration on his objective I think he is probably one of the large numbers of (men in particular) who are complete brown fruity spicy sauce addicts – it paved the way I’m sure for England’s most popular national dish – the ubiquitous English ‘Indian’ (Bangladeshi -in our town) curry.

Addiction such as this is rarely cured as there are no specialist clinics in the UK, or anywhere else in the world for that matter – we simply have to bear the cross of this savoury habit.

I know I am an addict too!

Thanks for listening!

-Kev Ryan

More of Kev’s work can be viewed at www.trekearth.com. Thanks Kev! Your addiction is our addiction. Welcome!

HP Sauce Gallery Submissions

Last week I was in a bit of a quandry. As the HP Sauce Gallery approached it’s 200th picture, I searched for a photo which would best capture the spirit of the site to mark this milestone. In the end, I couldn’t find a single photograph which best represented this, after all what individual photograph possibly could? Fortunately, Mandy came to our aid and submitted 6 individual “Saucy Girls” pictures!

While all the pictures are fab (the “mmm…HP Sauce is soo good!” one looks like an old polaroid doesn’t it?), I chose to highlight “Only For Girls Baby!” as it best represents the spirit of HP. Enjoying the Sauce with friends is what it’s all about. Thanks Mandy!

This past weekend marked a significant milestone for us here at brownsauce.org where we surpassed 100,000 hits since launching in October 2005. Now while this doesn’t quite put us into the same leagues as say, myspace music sensation Lily Allen who, according to the CBC’s “Definately Not The Opera” is getting upwards of 100,000 hits a day! Still, we’re very well pleased with reaching this milestone!

^*btw, though I’ve only heard the one Lily Allen track, I was very impressed - check her out! You rock as always too Sook-yin!

This is a good opportunity to thank all of you who have helped to contribute to the site, whether by means of pictures for the HP Sauce Gallery, by news submissions regarding the recent goings on at the HP Sauce factory, or by simply signing the petition, your contributions are what makes the site what it is, and I thank you for it.

Speaking of which, I have some new contributions which I’d like to pass along!

Our first submission comes in the form of a video from Helen Nurton.

^*Click the image to go to the video page.

This movie was made to use with classes of year 9 Geography students (ages 13-14 year olds) to highlight the issue of industries and jobs moving out of the UK to other countries. The aim was to enable pupils to understand some of the issues surrounding this disturbing trend and to help them recognise the impact, not only on the workers who lose their jobs, but on their families, communities and on associated businesses and industries. - Helen Nurton

Picture gallery contributors include: Nelson B, Kelly K, Karen K, Tom L, Pauline M, Mandy, Geoff C and yours truly.

The second is a submission of 3 images from Mandy to the HP Sauce Print Advertising gallery, one of which I’ve posted below. Please visit the gallery for additional vintage HP Sauce adverts.

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Thanks to Helen & Mandy for their submissions! We are of course always looking for new submissions, in any form. If you have something you’d like to contribute, please write me! It doesn’t matter if it is a story, photograph, or an old crate with H.P Sauce stamped on the side of it! We’re looking for all sorts! (not the candy…though they are a favourite of mine as well)

It must be World Cup season. It would seem at least that the focus on HP Sauce has shifted out of public view since last weeks rally to save the Birmingham HP Sauce factory. Let us hope that progress is being made behind closed doors at the parliamentary level to save the factory, and the jobs of those who work there.

Speaking of things parliamentary - Chris Morley of the Birmingham Mail has written “Speaker stands up for Brums’ HP“. According to the article, the Speaker of the British House of Commons is a bit of a fan of the Sauce and along with always keeping some on hand for guests, he is also advocating for HP to stay in Birmingham.

Mr Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Perry Barr:

“The Speaker is the only MP who lives in the House of Commons and he told me that he loves HP Sauce and has it in the Speaker’s Apartments.

I approached him on Tuesday when he was in the Speaker’s chair and a minister was winding up the debate, so we had a chat while he was not active.

Mr Martin wanted me to pass on his best wishes to the Birmingham workforce who are under threat.

But he also said that when he receives Speakers from other Parliaments around the world he always makes sure that HP Sauce is available.”

Now onto lighter things. (I remember that, don’t you?)

Back in April, I wrote up a blurb about finally spotting brown sauce on Coronation Street. Well Corrie fans, we have another sighting!

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This week, our little friend Chesney gets into trouble with “Uncle Les” for ruining his ‘proper english’ by playing a trick on him with the brown sauce bottle. Always the little deviant, Chesney places some clear plastic wrap around the top of the bottle when Les isn’t looking. Les, being….Les naturally falls for the trick and figures the bottle must be empty as no sauce comes out! While Les goes into the kitchen to find another bottle of sauce, Chesney cleverly removes the wrap and encourages “Uncle Les” to try it again when he returns from the kitchen empty handed. Sure enough, brown sauce pours out and smothers his breakfast. Les doesn’t waste any time and quickly returns the favour by dumping sauce all over Chesney’s plate. Gotta love those two eh?

The result of all of this is, we FINALLY get to see the front label of that mysterious brown sauce bottle that has always been there but has been too reluctant to show us its brand. When the bottle is finally revealed to us, it appears as a re-branded HP Sauce bottle with the words “Brown Sauce” in Blue & Red. Surely this is a labelled HP Sauce bottle! If it isn’t, one can only feel sorry for these two for suffering with sub-standard sauce!

Sainsburys Brown Sauce

EDIT: Mandy has identified this sauce as Sainsburys Brown Sauce. Sainsbury is a british chain supermarket like Tesco, Asda, Aldi’s, etc…

Thanks Mandy!

Regarding other sauces…

A few days ago we had supper at one of the local chain restaurants. It’s the typical North American family restaurant chain with lots of booth seating and food that when presented appears more manufactured than prepared. Shortly after we were seated, a very elderly couple in their 90s arrived. They were interesting to watch as they had this certain dynamic between them, and at the pace they were going suggested that what I was witnessing was a weekly event.

Not long after their orders had arrived and the elderly gentleman had requested some tartar sauce for his salmon (as I shudder in my seat across the aisle), the man made a remark to his wife. He must’ve said it rather quietly as she (nor I) heard what he said the first time around. “Eh?” she said. “Ketchup?” the man repeated. “Ketchup?!” the woman exclaimed “No I don’t want any ketchup! What is it with you? You’re always after me to eat ketchup!!”. Luckily I didn’t have a mouth full of coffee as I nearly burst out laughing! Sadly my meal didn’t call for any HP Sauce (none present) or I might have just went over and offered her some HP instead!

Image Courtesy of: Birmingham Mail

This past Saturday, up to 1000 people marched in Aston to support workers currently facing layoffs at the HP Sauce factory in Birmingham. Pickets at the rally carried slogans like “Lies Means Heinz�, “Save Our Sauce�, “HP IS BRUM� and “Keep HP British�. The factory which dates back to 1875 was purchased by Heinz less than a year ago in a deal worth £470 million. Many factory workers have publicly stated that the Heinz announcement to move production of HP Sauce to Holland is contrary to announcements made less than a year ago when Heinz made promises to preserve the local Aston workforce. Hence the placards “Lies Means Heinz�, and frankly who can blame them for calling Heinz out like that.

Now that the rally is over, the Birmingham Mail is reporting that the fight may now be moving from people marching in the streets to the political arena where Ministers are set to step in to help find a financial rescue package to keep HP from moving abroad.

Following the successful rally of support for the 125 HP Sauce workers this past weekend by the people of Birmingham, city MP Khalid Mahmood has arranged a meeting between the Department of Trade & Industry minister Ian McCarthy and Heinz executives.

Perry Barr Labour MP, Mr Mahmood:

“Heinz have so far not put anything on the table as to what they want but this is a further indication to them that we are prepared to support the workers of HP. What we have said to Heinz is that the plant is efficient but that if it is not running as Heinz want, what do you need to make it even more efficient?”

Next week, Heinz executives will also learn the result of aid discussions with city council chiefs and regional development agency Advantage West Midlands. The talks between Heinz and minister McCarthy are especially important as any financial assistance would require clearance by the Government due to EU restrictions.

Unions meanwhile are set to lobby the city’s MPs. TGWU regional secretary Gerard Coyne has stated that union leaders are seeing pledges of support from every single Birmingham MP in order to help raise the campaign’s profile nationally.

If you have any of your own stories or photographs from this weekends rally that you’d like to share, please write me and I’ll post it to the site.