Bisto

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

History

Invented by Messrs McRoberts and Patterson in 1908, the first Bisto product was a meat-flavoured gravy powder which rapidly became a bestseller in the UK. Added to gravies it thickened them giving a richer taste and aroma.

Bisto Granules, which dissolve in hot water to form a gravy substitute, were introduced in 1979.[1] 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

, in addition to the original gravy powder the company produces these products.[3]

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)[5]) appeared in newspapers and soon became popular. The Bisto Kids were a boy and girl in ragged clothes, who were illustrated catching the aroma of Bisto on the breeze exhaling longingly, "Ah, Bisto!"

The Bisto Kids were part of more elaborate advertising campaigns in later years. The Bisto Kids have not been featured in Bisto advertising since 1996.[6] Many Bisto adverts shown on television through the years on British and Irish television are available on websites including 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 who smell 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

Adverts during the 1960s 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

Advert phrases during the 1970s 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 including Gordon Banks, Anita Harris, Henry Cooper, Jon Pertwee, Billy Bremner, Dick Emery, Terry Wogan, and Alan Ball.

1980s

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.

Bisto sponsored the ITV Telethon in 1988.

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), a Puts the Ahh into a Meal" series (1990–1992), and a series with Julie Walters (1996–1998).

2000–present

The company sponsors the Bisto Book of the Year Awards in the Republic of Ireland. The latest campaign for Bisto encourages families to sit up at the table for one night a week to eat 'proper' food.

In 2025, Bisto entered into a brand partnership with Aardman Animations cartoon characters Wallace & Gromit. Characters from the films featured on Bisto products, with consumers offered the chance to win a lab-grown blue diamond worth £1,500. A pop-up gravy restaurant called "The Gravy Boat" opened in Paddington, London with a gravy-themed three course menu and "meet and greet" opportunities for diners to meet Wallace, Gromit, and Feathers McGraw.[7][8]

type	Gravy · cooking sauces and seasoning
currentowner	Premier Foods
introduced	1908
country	United Kingdom
markets	UK · Ireland
previousowners	RHM
tagline	"Aah, Bisto"
website	bisto.co.uk

History

Products

Gravy granules range

Bisto Best range

Gravy pots range

Signature range

Sauce mixes range

Frozen foods

Advertising

1930s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000–present

Ownership

Competition

External links

References