Salad cream is a creamy, pale yellow condiment based on an emulsion of about 25–50 percent oil in water, emulsified by egg yolk and acidulated by spirit vinegar. It is somewhat similar in composition to mayonnaise, but mayonnaise is made with oil as its main constituent whereas salad cream is based on vinegar and water. Both salad cream and mayonnaise usually include other ingredients such as sugar, mustard, salt, thickener, spices, flavouring and colouring.[3] The first ready-made commercial product was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1914,[1] where it is used as a salad dressing and a sandwich spread.
Historically, salad cream, often mentioned in Victorian sources, consisted of "hard-boiled eggs puréed with cream, mustard, salt and vinegar".[4]
Brands
In the UK, it has been produced by companies including H. J. Heinz Company and Crosse & Blackwell. Heinz Salad Cream was the first brand developed exclusively for the UK market. When first created in the Harlesden kitchens of Heinz in 1914, it was prepared by hand. The jars were packed in straw-lined barrels with 12 dozen in each. The quota was 180 dozen jars a day, with a halfpenny a dozen bonus if the workforce could beat the target.[5]
In the 1990s, Heinz was considering discontinuing the brand. The BBC described the public response as an "outcry". Heinz relaunched salad cream a few months later with a £10m advertising campaign, redesigned packs and increased price points.[6][7]
In 2017, Salad Cream was the fifth best-selling table sauce in the UK according to data from Nielsen, with sales of £28.8m.[7]
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