Bisto facts for kids
| Type | Gravy, cooking sauces and seasoning |
|---|---|
| Owner | Premier Foods |
| Introduced | 1908 |
| Markets | UK & Ireland |
| Previous owners | RHM |
| Tagline | "Aah, Bisto" |
| Website | https://www.bisto.co.uk/ |
Bisto is a very popular brand known for its delicious gravy and other food items. You can find Bisto products all over the United Kingdom and Ireland. Today, the company is owned by Premier Foods.
Contents
History of Bisto
Bisto started way back in 1908. Their very first product was a meat-flavored gravy powder. It quickly became super popular in the UK! People added it to gravies to make them thicker and taste even richer.
Two people, Messrs Roberts & Patterson, invented Bisto. They named it "Bisto" because it "Browns, Seasons and Thickens in One". That's a pretty clever name!
Later, in 1979, Bisto introduced something new: Bisto Granules. These granules dissolve easily in hot water to make gravy. This made making gravy even quicker!
By 2005, Bisto Gravy Granules were so popular that they made up over 70% of the gravy market in Britain. You can find Bisto products in almost every grocery store in the UK.
Bisto Products
As of 2024, Bisto makes many different products besides their original gravy powder. They even have a new Sausage Gravy Granules in a pink tub!
Gravy Granules Range
- Beef
- Beef (reduced salt)
- Beef (gluten-free)
- Chicken
- Chicken (reduced salt)
- Chicken (gluten-free)
- Turkey
- Turkey with Cranberry Sauce (only around Christmas)
- Vegetable
- Onion
- Southern style
- American hot & spicy
- Swedish Style Meatball
- Pigs In Blankets (bacon flavor; a special edition for Christmas 2022)
- Sausage (new in 2024)
Bisto Best Range
In 1991, Bisto launched a fancier, more expensive type of granules called Bisto Best. It came in a glass jar and had an even richer flavor than the regular granules.
- Beef
- Beef (reduced salt)
- Chicken
- Chicken (reduced salt)
- Turkey
- Turkey with Cranberry sauce (only around Christmas)
- Pork
- Lamb
- Vegetable
- Caramelised Onion
Gravy Pots Range
These are ready-to-use pots that you can heat up in the microwave.
- Chip Shop Gravy
- Chip Shop Curry Sauce
- Spicy Pepper Sauce
- Katsu Curry Sauce
Sauce Mixes Range
Bisto also makes mixes for other sauces.
- Cheese sauce
- Parsley sauce
- White sauce
- Curry sauce
Frozen Foods
Some Bisto frozen foods are made by another company called Kerry Foods.
- Yorkshire puddings
- Cottage pie
- Bangers and mash
- Roast chicken dinner
- Roast beef dinner
- Shepherd's pie
- Beef in gravy
- Spaghetti bolognese
- Meat free spaghetti bolognese
- Roast lamb dinner
- Chips in curry sauce
- Chilli con carne
- Lasagne
Bisto Advertising
Bisto is famous for its long history of advertising.
The Bisto Kids
In 1919, the "Bisto Kids" first appeared in newspaper ads. They were created by an artist named Will Owen. The Bisto Kids were a boy and a girl in old, ragged clothes. They would be shown smelling the delicious aroma of Bisto gravy. Then, they would sigh happily and say, "Ah, Bisto!" They quickly became very popular.
The Bisto Kids were part of many advertising campaigns over the years. However, they haven't been in Bisto ads since 1996.
You can still find many old Bisto TV adverts online. Websites like YouTube and Dailymotion have lots of them!
Advertising Through the Decades
- 1930s: A competition was held to name the Bisto twin characters. A couple named Mr and Mrs Simmonds won, naming them Bill and Maree.
- 1950s: One of their first TV ads was "Bisto For All Meat Dishes".
- 1960s: Adverts included phrases like "Pass The Gravy Pass The Bisto". The famous footballer Bobby Moore was in the first color Bisto gravy advert in 1969.
- 1970s: Popular phrases were "Where there's meat there's Bisto" and "Browns, seasons and thickens all in one". Many celebrities like Gordon Banks and Henry Cooper appeared in these family-themed ads.
- 1980s: A well-known song in their ads included the line, "You Can't Kid A Bisto Kid". They also had a series called "Now You're Home" which featured a bus and school dinners. In 1984, Bisto held a competition to find real children to be the "Bisto Kids of the Year".
- 1990s: Adverts for Bisto gravy used the Dean Martin song Memories Are Made Of This. Another series of ads featured Julie Walters.
- 2000s: In the early 2000s, there was a "Gravy Matters" series of ads. In 2008, Bisto celebrated 100 years!
- 2010s: Adverts included the phrase "Now You're Talking". Bisto also sponsors the Bisto Book of the Year Awards in Ireland.
- 2020s: In Autumn 2024, a new advert for Bisto gravy powder will be released.
Who Owns Bisto?
Bisto has had different owners since it started. Currently, it is owned by Premier Foods. Premier Foods bought Bisto when they purchased Rank Hovis McDougall in March 2007. This made Premier Foods the biggest food manufacturing company in the UK!
Bisto's Competitors
Bisto's main competitor is Goldenfry Foods Ltd. Goldenfry makes its own branded gravy and also produces most of the store-brand gravies you see in supermarkets.
