October 18, 2016
A Sauce of Manliness
Sauce & Brown… it’s not all about the clothes
Sauce & Brown is not only a quintessentially British brand, but one with a proud local heritage rooted firmly in Nottinghamshire, the former heartland of the UK textiles industry.
This is something we are fiercely proud of.
Nottinghamshire has a long tradition of creativity and innovation.
It has given the world some of its most iconic brands and products… things which we take for granted every day.
Sir Paul Smith, for example, is renowned around the world while another local Knight Bachelor, Sir John Peace, has transformed the way that businesses across the world utilise information and data, after founding Experian.
Tarmac was invented in our county, as was silicon and ibuprofen.
We also gave the world the traffic light and the video recorder.
We even took our name from one of our favourite Nottinghamshire inventions, HP Sauce.
It’s long been argued that HP Sauce, the favourite flavour enhancer of our calories of choice, the humble sausage cob, was born in Birmingham.
But it’s roots actually lie in Robin Hood County.
In Basford, to be precise.
The iconic sauce, which inspired our brand, was invented by local grocer Frederick Gibson Garton, in his pickling factory at the back of 47 Sandon Street.
He was living at the Royal Oak at the bottom of the street when he came up with the recipe.
We won’t go into the details here, but it’s safe to say, we find it delicious.
Garton registered the name HP Sauce in 1895, so-called because he had heard that a restaurant in the Houses of Parliament had begun serving it.
The Birmingham link came about a year later, when Garton was forced to sell the recipe and HP brand to Edwin Samson Moore for the sum of £150 and the settlement of some unpaid bills.
Moore, the founder of the Midlands Vinegar Company, subsequently launched HP Sauce in 1903 and the rest is history.
Nottingham still retains several links to this iconic product, though.
The original bottles, which had Garton’s name embossed on the side, are worth around £100.
Nottingham Castle Museums and Galleries have one of the bottles, carefully preserved, in their possession.
So do we, several, in fact.
They are among our prized possessions, which we showcase at our Annesley boutique.
We’ve been in the industry a long time.
The story ties in nicely with our brand, our beliefs and what we stand for.
Our brand was born out of the desire to stand out from the crowd, to do something innovative and unique and to give people access to exclusive, high-quality designer shirts and other garments at prices to suit the pocket.
It’s our aim, with Sauce & Brown, to contribute to that long legacy of great products, brands and innovations with their roots planted firmly in Nottinghamshire, the county we call home.