Topdown 450g

My wife and I both grew up in Great Britain and like in many British homes, this sauce was a staple item in our pantries and probably more popular than ketchup. Its a savoury, but mild, brown sauce that's made from a malt vinegar base, thickened with tomatoes, dates, tamarind, and other spices. It's delicious as a condiment to either hot or cold foods - we particularly like it on sausages (bangers), bacon or chips (fries), but it also makes a really good spread to liven up cold cheese or ham sandwiches. Its a bit similar to a brown steak sauce such as 'A1', but has a thicker, less runny consistency that clings better to food, like a good ketchup does. My kids have grown to love it and frankly, a bottle doesn't seem to last for very long in our house! So the 425g (about 15 oz) size is best for us - plus, we prefer it in the squeeze bottle, which reduces that annoying little amount that usually gets stuck in the bottom of a sauce bottle! You can find this on the shelf at some U.S. grocery stores and pay more, but given this is imported, these seem to be a really good prices here for the quantities. If you shop around, you can also find variations from this 'original' flavour - such as 'HP Fruity' (sweeter, which I don't think is quite as good), 'HP Bold' (spicier) and 'HP BBQ'. I noticed that some folks have complained that the expiration (or 'sell by') date on the bottle has passed, or is very close. Don't forget that Brits use a 'DD-MM-YYYY' format, not the 'MM-DD-YYYY' format used in the U.S. so that may be the reason. My recent order had an expiry date of '08-01-2016', but whether that means August 1st or January 8th is a moot point in my house, as it will never last until either one! A bit of trivia - as the image on the bottle suggests, the 'HP' stands for Houses of Parliament, where it was supposedly served since its introduction around 1900. And in the 1960's, it had a nickname of 'Wilson's Gravy' in Britain, as the then Prime Minister Harold Wilson apparently doused everything he ate with it! So, are you buying a traditional, authentic British product here? Well not really any more, as HP Foods is now owned by Heinz and this sauce is made in the Netherlands. But fortunately, they don't seem to have messed with the recipe and it still tastes as good as ever to me!

Great stuff!

Can't find this item in grocery stores,but I'm happy I found it here.

I used this in England growing up on cheese , bacon and egg and stews and lots more i love it

I've never been to the UK, but I just had to try this. It tastes a lot like A-1 sauce. I didn't compare them side-by-side, but I'd say this is a bit sweeter, and has a slightly spicy aftertaste. The texture may be a bit thicker as well. It's good stuff, but not different enough from A-1 to make it a permanent condiment in my fridge.

I remember loving this stuff as a kid, and as an adult I can see why. It's much sweeter than ketchup. This stuff is nuclear sweet. It's good if I mix it with hot sauce, which I usually do with ketchup. But on its own I don't see how anyone over age 12 could handle how sweet it is. If you like hard candy, you'll love this stuff.

I’ve been eaten this sauce my whole entire life. There was a time you had to get it ordered from Ireland or from England. Now you can get it on line. My friends used to come to my house when I was a kid cause I’m full-blooded Irish and go. That was the best sauce I’ve ever eaten. They still talk about it 50+ years later that’s how good it is. Get yourself some.

The best sauce for steaks or chops!

used on steak and great taste

Great with sausages, fried eggs .

Excellent sauce,recommended right amount!!

I did not see the grams when I ordered and was surprised to find I paid this much for about half the size of a regular bottle. Went by the pic which makes it look like a larger bottle. Should have looked for grams.

I disliked the size and price