For many households, the bottles of Heinz tomato ketchup and HP Sauce are key staples. A bacon sandwich wouldn’t be the same without tomato sauce while a sausage sarnie needs a dollop of brown sauce.
However, despite sitting on the cupboard shelf of many a UK home, most people haven’t considered what the HP in the name of the popular condiment actually signifies. and while there is a big clue on the label, many remain oblivious to the story behind the name.
The brand was introduced in 1895 and has been gracing supermarket shelves ever since. At first it might be thought it is named after the man who invented it, but that’s far from the truth.
The man responsible for the unique blend is Frederick Gibson Garton – so there’s neither an H nor a P in sight. Heinz bought the brand in 2005 and some have thought there were links there but the reality much more straightforward – and the label gives it away.
HP Sauce is named after the Houses of Parliament – something which has been astonishing people online who were unaware of the brand’s origins. According to the Museum of Brands, Frederick Gibson Garton – a grocer from Nottingham – registered the name HP Sauce in 1895 after hearing that a restaurant in the Houses of Parliament had started serving it.
And for anyone wondering the clue can be found on the bottle itself – for the label clearly shows the iconic building. This fun fact was initially raised in a Reddit post on the Casual UK forum, where an image of the sauce, carried the caption: “Who knew that ‘HP’ from HP sauce stood for Houses of Parliament? I mean it does have it on the front.”
And since then it has continued to astound people with many taking to social media to voice their surprise. Przemek posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Everybody STOP what you’re doing, why am I only just learning that the “HP” in HP sauce stands for Houses of Parliament ???
Sasha said: “Still bonkers to me that HP sauce is literally “houses of parliament sauce”. DN commented: “Someone pointed out that HP Sauce stands for “Houses of Parliament.” I just assumed it was Hewlett Packard Sauce.
Dan added: “I have just discovered that HP sauce is in fact called ‘ Houses of Parliament ‘ Sauce. Sorry what.” And Holls said: “I was today years old when I found out that the HP in HP sauce stands for Houses of Parliament.”