h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Brown Sauce - in progress - A39774685
Author: FordsTowel - U227087

I was reading an older entry, on the Great English Breakfast (A103177), and noticed that the link was broken to 'Brown Sauce'.

Here is my attempt to fill that gap in the guide.

As always, I'm very open to constructive criticism to improve the entry, but I really need help tweaking the recipe. The intent is to emulate the HP Brown Sauce.

HP is no longer British so a bit of history would not come amiss. The fight to preserve it in the UK failed and it has gone to Holland I believe, and somewhere else too, I seem to remember.

Websailor

Ah, so that's what this mysterious "brown sauce" is. Can't help you optimise, never having tried it.

But I can nitpick you have a "one tablespoons" and a few -ize forms in there. Also, why the switch to written numbers rather than digits at the end of the ingredients list?

Yes, the old HP (still controversial whether this is the inventor's initials or stands for House of Parliament) has been outsourced.

All the more reason why I'd like to offer a home-brewed substitute and move away from dwelling on any original product. (Not like it was the only one, in any case).

As to why the mixup on the numbering? Bob only knows!

I'll fix it!

I'm no good on recipes - especially when I don't like the end product.

But I couldn't see any problems.

I think the HP story would stand alone as a separate entry (I have a ton of stuff on it and it was on my longlist of entries to write some day). The brand changes hands every few years - Danone and Heinz have owned it in recent times. The recent kerfuffle was when Heinz closed the Aston factory and shifted production to Holland.

This one is fine as a recipe entry. It's odd that your substitute sauce doesn't use tamarind, which gives it its distinctive flavour.

***

For the history of brown sauce, the OED first records it in John Nott's "The cook's and confectioner's dictionary" (1723):

"To make brown Sauce. Toss up Cives, Parsley, Capers and Anchovies in a Sauce-pan, [etc.]."


Literary reference? In Charles Dickens' Hard Times (1854), Mrs Sparsit's favourite supper was sweetbread in a savoury brown sauce. (The quote's out there on the Web)


Icy

I found your units confusing - what is a "C", or a "Lb"? Perhaps metric would be safer.

Otherwise excellent

And what is tspoon? T like in teaspoon, or T like in tablespoon?

T is a T-shirt. As much as a men's size M v-neck heather grey t-shirt can absorb.

Thanks all!

For the moment, I've standardised the measuremennts. I may yet convert them to metric, but that's another pass.

I think that I also covered all the other suggestions, and the recipe has change a bit in the bargain!

I, too, see Tamarind as an important ingredient, and I've adjusted others to make room for other additions.

As always, I love to hear how I'm doing!

Looks good to me

You've inspired me to write The HP Sauce Story (I'll link to this of course)

Icy

'For the moment, I've standardised the measuremennts. I may yet convert them to metric, but that's another pass'.

What most of us in this situation have been doing is giving both units i.e imperial then metric in brackets immediately after (or vice versa)

Hey, IcyNorth, that would be GREAT!

The trickiest part may be deciding whether or not to take sides on the 'What does HP stand for?' question!

Well, it's there now, so judge for yourself... A40148606

Icy North:

Quite Nice! A great addition to the history of 'English Cuisine'!

Such a pity that the workers were not able to purchase the business for themselves to run.

Gee, this is going to create a dilemma?! I wrote the Brown Sauce entry to supplement the English breakfast entry; but, now, this one may do that just as well or better!!

I'm not putting any money down on THIS one!

The two are completely exclusive, as far as I'm concerned. I only wrote about the unusual story of that particular brand, but this entry on how to make your own is great.

Thanks Icy North!

Yes, they are quite different, and both could end up in the E.G.; but which do you think would be a better link in the English Breakfast entry? That is my question.

I don't know that entry, but if it's about breakfast, I'd say your entry is the better choice, being a recipe.

I'd link 'brown sauce' to this and 'HP sauce' to the other one. Whichever, maybe we can ask them to link to the other one via the section...

Sounds like a great plan!

Thanks for all the thought you've both put into this!