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A1 Steak Sauce, also known as simply A1 Sauce, A.1. Sauce, and A.1. Steak Sauce is a sauce commonly used as marinades and accompaniments for steak and other meaty dishes. Can you get A1 Steak Sauce in the UK, I hear you ask. Well, you might be happy with the answer…
What is A1 Steak Sauce?
A1 Sauce has been around for more than 191 years now, first produced and sold in the UK back in 1861, then introduced to Canada, then the United States. It was in 2014 that ‘steak’ was dropped from the product, now known as A.1. Sauce.
A1 Steak Sauce is a very popular American condiment. It is also available here in the UK, but it seems to be less popular here than on the other side of the pond.
What is A1 Steak Sauce Made of?
A1 Steak Sauce is made with different ingredients in different parts of the world. If you’re buying Canadian A1 Steak Sauce, you’ll be buying a combination of flavourings and spices, tragacanth, malt vinegar, salt, sugar, raisins, garlic, onion, marmalade and tomato puree.
If you take a peek at the American (US) version of A1 Steak Sauce, you’ll see the following ingredients listed: xanthan gum, potassium sorbate, dried garlic, dried onions, celery seeds, spice, caramel colour, tomato puree, crushed orange puree, spirit vinegar, and corn syrup.
The UK version of A1 Sauce, according to the Tesco website, has the following ingredients: tomato puree, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, raisin paste, crushed orange puree, mixed spices, dried garlic powder, caramel colour (E150d), dried onions, potassium sorbate, xanthan gum, and celery seeds.
As you can see, the ingredients in the three products are slightly different.
What is the British Equivalent of A1 Steak Sauce?
You can buy A1 Steak Sauce in the UK, although you can only buy it from a handful of places.
If you can’t get your hands on A1 Sauce, you could switch it for HP Sauce, which is readily available in the UK. (Much more available than A1 Sauce.) The two are quite similar, although HP Sauce is known for being tangier and spicier than A1 Sauce. You could tone this down by adding a little sugar (to taste).
Alternatively, you could make your own A1 Sauce imitation with just two ingredients… but I’ll get to that in a moment.
Where Can You Buy A1 Steak Sauce in the UK?
I’ve actually found A1 Steak Sauce in a few places in the UK. Firstly, it’s listed as a product on the Tesco website, but every time I’ve looked (over a couple of weeks) it’s been out of stock.
But fear not, friends. I’ve found it somewhere else – and it’s in stock there.
As usual, Amazon comes to your rescue. Although there are plenty of shops that sell imported American products, they can be a bit hit and miss. Amazon is relatively consistent. You can get the products you want, whenever you want them, and sometimes with same-day delivery.
⇢ Kosher Certified
Believe it or not, A1 Steak Sauce actually started out as a British sauce, and it is still produced and sold in the UK. It seems that you can only buy it in certain places, however – Tesco, as mentioned above, and also Ocado. (And Amazon, obviously.)
What Can You Use A1 Steak Sauce For?
A1 Steak Sauce (and its alternatives/substitutions) can be used for a wide variety of dishes, but in the UK it is commonly used as a condiment over fried breakfasts, and also as a dip for chips. It is used as a meal accompaniment in much the same way as ketchup.
Nigella Lawson suggests using “steak sauce (such as A1 Sauce)” in her recipe for Mini Meatloaves, which sound utterly delightful, by the way.
⇢ Best Served Cold
⇢ Makes 12 Mini Meatloaves
⇢ Prep: 10 mins
⇢ Cook: 30 mins
In America, A1 Sauce is used a lot in meatloaf-style recipes, but we did find this lush-sounding Tangy BBQ Shrimp recipe on Real Simple. It calls for “steak sauce”.
What Can I Use Instead of A1 Steak Sauce?
If you can’t get your hands on A1 Steak Sauce, you can make your own, details of which are listed below.
Alternatively, you could use an A1 Steak Sauce alternative. In the UK, these include HP Sauce and Daddies Sauce, and also a wide variety of supermarket own-branded products. These often go by the simple name: ‘brown sauce’.
Can You Make Your Own A1 Steak Sauce?
Yes, you absolutely can make your own A1 Steak Sauce at home.
One of the very best things about the internet now is that you’ll often find a dupe recipe for pretty much every brand named product in the world, include fast food dishes!
One of the quickest A1 Sauce dupes is to blend 8 tablespoons of ketchup with 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce. You can find more complex recipes for it, which more closely mimic the taste, of course. Take a look at these:
FAQ
Can A1 Sauce Be Substituted For Worcestershire Sauce?
Although you could substitute A1 Sauce for Worcestershire sauce, you will have much better recipe success if you substitute the A1 Sauce in a recipe for Worcestershire sauce plus a bit of ketchup. It mimics the taste much more closely. If you want to do this, make a blend that consists of roughly 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce plus 8 tablespoons of ketchup.
Are A1 Steak Sauce and A1 Sauce the Same Thing?
Are A1 Steak Sauce and A1 Sauce the Same Thing?
Yes, A1 Steak Sauce and A1 Sauce are the same product, essentially. The word ‘steak’ was dropped by the manufacturer in 2014.
Are A1 Sauce and Heinz Steak Sauce the Same Thing?
Are A1 Sauce and Heinz Steak Sauce the Same Thing?
Although they sound like the same thing, A1 Sauce (or A1 Steak Sauce) is not exactly the same as Heinz Steak Sauce. They both taste great with steak, but where A1 Sauce is peppery and spicy, Heinz Steak Sauce has more of a tomato taste.