In British and Irish cuisines it generally refers to a vinegar, fruit and spice-based condiment, which is commonly found in the United Kingdom under a brand name e.g. HP Sauce. In the United States A1 Steak Sauce is a variant on the theme, it is eaten primarily with steaks, while in the UK and Ireland it is traditionally eaten with bacon and/or sausages especially at breakfast.

Brown sauce in French cuisine

In classical French cuisine, a brown sauce generally refers to a sauce with a meat stock base, thickened by reduction and sometimes the addition of a browned roux, similar in some ways to but more involved than a gravy. The classic mother sauce examples are espagnole sauce and demi-glace, though other derivatives of those two exist.


Brown sauce in British and Irish cuisine

Brown sauce is a condiment popular in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. There exist a number of different brands and generic versions, of which HP Sauce is the most popular - sales of HP Brown Sauce and HP Fruity Sauce account for around 75% of value sales in the UK (source IRI, June 2006). In some regions of the UK, the Daddies Favourite brand is also popular. Both brands have existed since the start of the twentieth century. Chef Brown Sauce is the most popular version produced in Ireland.

A relatively recent addition to the British brown sauce line-up is Branston Brown Sauce. Following controversial plans to move production of Heinz' HP Sauce to Holland in 2006, many patriotic sauce aficionados, including UK Member of Parliament David Ruffley, moved allegiance from HP to Branston, which is produced in Bury St. Edmunds, UK.

All feature a malt vinegar base blended with fruit and spices, with tamarind and worcestershire sauce being indispensable ingredients.

Brown sauce is traditionally eaten with meals and dishes such as Full English breakfasts, bacon sandwiches, chips, and baked beans. Around Edinburgh a combination of spirit vinegar and brown sauce, known simply as "sauce" or "chippie sauce", is popular on fish and chips.