Bisto

Last updated
Bisto
Product typeGravy, cooking sauces and seasoning
Owner Premier Foods
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1908
MarketsUK & Ireland
Previous owners RHM
Tagline"Aah, Bisto"
Website https://www.bisto.co.uk/

Bisto is a popular and well-known brand of gravy and other food products in the United Kingdom and Ireland, currently owned by Premier Foods.

Contents

History

The first Bisto product, in 1908, was a meat-flavoured gravy powder which rapidly became a bestseller in the UK. It was added to gravies to thicken them and give a richer taste and aroma. Invented by Messrs Roberts & Patterson, it was named "Bisto" because it "Browns, Seasons and Thickens in One". [1]

Bisto Granules, which dissolve in hot water to form a gravy substitute, were introduced in 1979.

Bisto Gravy Powder 227g and 454g packets and drums during the late 1980's up to 1991 and 3 non identical pictures and the bottom back.

As of 2005, Bisto Gravy Granules had a British market share of over 70%. [2] Nearly all British grocery outlets stock a Bisto product. [2]

Products

As of 2022, in addition to the original gravy powder the company also produces the following products. [3]

Gravy granules range

Bisto Best range

In 1991, Bisto launched a new, more expensive granules product. Packaged in a glass jar, it offered a fuller flavour than the standard granules.

Gravy pots range

A range of ready to use microwavable pots.

Sauce mixes range

Frozen foods

Produced under licence by Kerry Foods except where stated.

Advertising

Bisto is notable both for the age of its brand and for the advertising campaigns it has used. In 1919, the Bisto Kids (created by illustrator Will Owen (1869–1957) [4] ) appeared in newspapers and soon became popular. The Bisto Kids were a boy and girl in ragged clothes, who would be illustrated catching the aroma of Bisto on the breeze and exhale longingly, "Ah, Bisto!"

A Bisto advertisement Bisto00.jpg
A Bisto advertisement

The Bisto Kids were also part of more elaborate advertising campaigns in later years. The Bisto Kids have not been included in Bisto advertising since 1996. [5]

Many Bisto adverts shown on television through the years on British and Irish television are available on websites such as YouTube, Dailymotion, Classic TV Adverts, Retro TV Adverts, History of Advertising Trust, Vimeo and TV Ark.

1930s

In Birmingham in the 1930s a competition was held to choose a name for the two Bisto twin characters, a boy and a girl smelling Bisto's gravy. The competition was won by Mr and Mrs Simmonds, who named the twins after themselves, calling them Bill and Maree.

1950s

During the 1950s "Bisto For All Meat Dishes" was one of their first television advertisements.

1960s

During the 1960s adverts included "Pass The Gravy Pass The Bisto" and "Does Cooking Proud". At the end of the decade television adverts changed from monochrome to colour. Bobby Moore featured in the first colour advert for Bisto gravy in 1969.

1970s

During the 1970s popular advert phrases included "Where there's meat there's Bisto" and "Browns, seasons and thickens all in one" in a series of family adverts shown on television with celebrities such as Gordon Banks, Anita Harris, Henry Cooper, John Pertwee, Billy Bremner, Dick Emery, Terry Wogan and Alan Ball.[ citation needed ]

1980s

During the 1980s, the company released a series of ads in the UK which featured a song that included the recurring phrases like, "You Can't Kid A Bisto Kid" adverts that featured 1) Sandcastles 1980, 2) Bisto kids jumping out the window, also Bisto kids jumping off a slide in 1981 and 3) Family in 1982, "Much More Ahh" series with Lysette Anthony and Tarzan in 1984, Monkeys and Ghosts in a Halloween edition in 1985, "Never in a month of Sundays" series of 3 adverts 1) Car in the 1983 advert, 2) Mole featured Chris Wilkinson in the 1984 advert and 3) Music Playing in 1985 advert, "Now You're Home" an advert with a bus and school dinners ran (1987–1990), "Only Bisto Puts The Ahh into Gravy", "Insist On Bisto" was a series of family adverts, rectory and bistro, "For A Winner Of A Dinner" shown in Ireland only in 1987 and "When It's Dry Let It Pour". Chef Ruth Watson had a family advert for it in 1986.

In 1984 RHM Foods launched a nationwide competition to find children to act the role of the Bisto Kids, the recurrent "The Bisto Kids of the Year Awards". The first ever competition was won by Hayley Griffiths and Jimmy Endicott from Doncaster. They were six years old at the time and became the faces of Bisto, both for public relations and marketing events, and also appeared in an advert shown on prime time TV to find the next Bisto Kids.[ citation needed ]

Bisto sponsored the ITV Telethon in 1988.[ citation needed ]

1990s

Adverts for Bisto gravy during the 1990s included the Dean Martin song Memories Are Made Of This. Other phrases were "Real Gravy in No Time at All", Vanessa Williams in a series of adverts called Save the Best for Last for Bisto Best range (1993–1996) and "It Put's The Ahh into A Meal" series (1990–1992) and a series with Julie Walters (1996–1998). In a 1993 advert for Bisto Fuller Flavour Gravy Granules a young couple for dinner on a train featured the Orient Express just before rebranded as Bisto Best.[ citation needed ]

2000s

During the 2000s adverts including in the early part of the decade "Gravy Matters" series of adverts (1999–2002) in Great Britain only, 100 years in 2008, Make A Great Meal Special shown in Ireland only.

2010s

During the 2010s adverts including "Now You're Talking".

The company sponsors the Bisto Book of the Year Awards in the Republic of Ireland.

The latest campaign[ when? ] for Bisto encourages families to sit up at the table for one night a week to eat 'proper' food.[ citation needed ]

Ownership

Bisto has had several owners since its creation. It is currently owned by Premier Foods, which acquired Bisto when it bought Rank Hovis McDougall in March 2007 to form the largest UK foods manufacturing company.[ citation needed ]

Competition

Bisto's main competitor is Goldenfry Foods Ltd, which makes a branded gravy as well as most supermarket own-brand gravies. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curry</span> Spicy Asian or Asian-influenced dishes

Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. It is not to be confused with leaves from the curry tree, although some curries do include curry leaves. Curry is prepared in the native cuisines of many Southeast Asian and East Asian countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gravy</span> Sauce made from the juices of meats

Gravy is a sauce generally made from the juices of meats that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with corn starch or other thickeners for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt or gravy browning or bouillon cubes. Powders can be used as a substitute for natural meat or vegetable extracts. Canned and instant gravies are also available. Gravy is commonly served with roasts, meatloaf, rice, noodles, chips (fries), mashed potatoes, or biscuits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunday roast</span> British dish of meat and vegetables

A Sunday roast or roast dinner is a traditional meal of British origin. Although it can be consumed throughout the week, it is traditionally consumed on Sunday. It consists of roasted meat, roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes, and accompaniments such as Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, gravy, and condiments such as apple sauce, mint sauce, or redcurrant sauce. A wide range of vegetables can be served as part of a roast dinner, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, or peas, which can be boiled, steamed, or roasted alongside the meat and potatoes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Malaysia

Malaysian cuisine consists of cooking traditions and practices found in Malaysia, and reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. The vast majority of Malaysia's population can roughly be divided among three major ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese and Indians. The remainder consists of the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia, the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia, the Peranakan and Eurasian creole communities, as well as a significant number of foreign workers and expatriates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Denmark

Danish cuisine originated from the peasant population's own local produce and was enhanced by cooking techniques developed in the late 19th century and the wider availability of goods during and after the Industrial Revolution. Open sandwiches, known as smørrebrød, which in their basic form are the usual fare for lunch, can be considered a national speciality when prepared and garnished with a variety of ingredients. Hot meals are typically prepared with meat or fish. Substantial meat and fish dishes includes flæskesteg and kogt torsk with mustard sauce and trimmings. Ground meats became widespread during the industrial revolution and traditional dishes that are still popular include frikadeller, karbonader and medisterpølse. Denmark is known for its Carlsberg and Tuborg beers and for its akvavit and bitters, but amongst the Danes themselves imported wine has gained steadily in popularity since the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korma</span> Dish originating in the Indian subcontinent

Korma or qorma ; Persian: قرما); is a dish with its origin in the Indian subcontinent, consisting of meat or vegetables braised with yogurt, water or stock, and spices to produce a thick sauce or gravy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pot Noodle</span> Brand of instant noodle snack foods

Pot Noodle is a brand of instant noodle snack foods from the United Kingdom, available in a selection of flavours and varieties. This dehydrated food consists of noodles, assorted dried vegetables and flavouring powder. It is prepared by adding boiling water, which rapidly softens the noodles and dissolves the powdered sauce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian Chinese cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Chinese Malaysian immigrants and their descendants

Malaysian Chinese cuisine is derived from the culinary traditions of Chinese Malaysian immigrants and their descendants, who have adapted or modified their culinary traditions under the influence of Malaysian culture as well as immigration patterns of Chinese to Malaysia. Because the vast majority of Chinese Malaysians are descendants of immigrants from southern China, Malaysian Chinese cuisine is predominantly based on an eclectic repertoire of dishes with roots from Fujian, Cantonese, Hakka and Teochew cuisines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipoh cuisine</span> Food of Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Ipoh has a significant food scene with many hawker centres and restaurants. It has dishes derived from Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine. In recent years, Ipoh has seen an increase in international restaurants, bars and gastropubs which have become popular with locals and tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noodle soup</span> Variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth

Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is a common dish across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan states of South Asia. Various types of noodles are used, such as rice noodles, wheat noodles and egg noodles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese Indonesian cuisine</span> Cuisine of the people of Chinese Indonesians

Chinese Indonesian cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Chinese with local Indonesian style. Chinese Indonesians, mostly descendant of Han ethnic Hokkien and Hakka speakers, brought their legacy of Chinese cuisine, and modified some of the dishes with the addition of Indonesian ingredients, such as kecap manis, palm sugar, peanut sauce, chili, santan and local spices to form a hybrid Chinese-Indonesian cuisine. Some of the dishes and cakes share the same style as in Malaysia and Singapore, known as Nyonya cuisine by the Peranakan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madras curry</span> Indian curry dish

Madras curry or Madras sauce is a curry sauce. Madras is brown in colour and is made with heavy use of chili powder. Raita is often used as an accompaniment to the dish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fricassee</span> Method of cooking meat

Fricassee or fricassée is a stew made with pieces of meat that have been browned in butter then served in a sauce flavored with the cooking stock. Fricassee is usually made with chicken, veal or rabbit, with variations limited only by what ingredients the cook has at hand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javanese cuisine</span> Cuisine of the Javanese people, Indonesia

Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundanese cuisine</span> Cuisine of the Sundanese people, Indonesia

Sundanese cuisine is the cuisine of the Sundanese people of Western Java, and Banten, Indonesia. It is one of the most popular foods in Indonesia. Sundanese food is characterised by its freshness; the famous lalab eaten with sambal and also karedok demonstrate the Sundanese fondness for fresh raw vegetables. Unlike the rich and spicy taste, infused with coconut milk and curry of Minangkabau cuisine, the Sundanese cuisine displays the simple and clear taste; ranged from savoury salty, fresh sourness, mild sweetness, to hot and spicy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian Indian cuisine</span> Cuisine of ethnic Indian communities of Malaysia

Malaysian Indian cuisine, or the cooking of the ethnic Indian communities in Malaysia, consists of adaptations of authentic dishes from India, as well as original creations inspired by the diverse food culture of Malaysia. Because the vast majority of Malaysia's Indian community are of South Indian descent, and are mostly ethnic Tamils who are descendants of immigrants from a historical region which consists of the modern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka's Northern Province, much of Malaysian Indian cuisine is predominantly South Indian inspired in character and taste. A typical Malaysian Indian dish is likely to be redolent with curry leaves, whole and powdered spice, and contains fresh coconut in various forms. Ghee is still widely used for cooking, although vegetable oils and refined palm oils are now commonplace in home kitchens. Before a meal it is customary to wash hands as cutlery is often not used while eating, with the exception of a serving spoon for each respective dish.

Instant sauces are industrially prepared sauce mixes, typically dehydrated, used to prepare sauces. Instant sauces are typically thickened with thickening agents such as starch.

References

  1. ↑ "About Bisto". Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 ACNielsen Total Grocers MAT 2005.
  3. ↑ "Company website" . Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "198: Will Owen (1869-1957) "Ah! Bisto" Bisto for all me" . Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Rebecca Fowler (23 October 2011). "Ah! Gravy train over for Bisto kids". The Independent. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Goldenfry - Case Study - Ripe Design London, Leeds, Cape Town – A creative web, print and new media design agency Archived 16 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.