Bread sauce - is it just a Proddy thing?

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

Long version - my DM (Prod) has always served bread sauce with Christmas dinner when I was a child. Sometimes we would go to Dad's side of the family (Catholic) for Christmas dinner and I can't remember clearly whether we had bread sauce then or not, but I think we did. Certainly when they came to us there weren't any comments about Mum serving bread sauce, but perhaps they were being polite.

This morning DH was shopping in Dunnes and there was no bread sauce, I wanted fresh but would have accepted packet mix, but nothing at all. He asked a couple of employees but they had never heard of it, however they weren't Irish so it could just be something that they're not aware of.

DH (Asian, so thinks a sauce made from bread is weird and unnecessary) was on a video chat with his friend when I walked into the room and he told me that he couldn't find it. His friend (Irish Catholic) had no idea what bread sauce was either, he's the one that suggested it's a Proddy thing. When I thought about it I realised that I had only ever bought fresh bread sauce from M&S, so imported into Ireland, but I still feel like I've seen packet bread sauce around in other places too.

So, which is it?
a) Everyone knows and uses bread sauce
b) It's just for Protestants
c) Condiments don't have a religious affiliation
d) Only a slattern would buy it instead of making it herself.

[TWBAEM]

Greek Orthodox/Catholic family mix. Bread sauce featured every Christmas. Guessing it came from the Catholic side of the family...

[Awrite]

Child of a mixed marriage here (Glasgow).

No bread sauce growing up.

Think I was served it once somewhere but can't think where. Didn't know what the fuck it was.

[Gobbeldegook]

D. Wtf is it? Be normal and have gravy

[5zeds]

A and D. I’m a Catholic and of course I make bread sauce. I had no idea you could but it though! It’s milk and bread. How much easier can it get???

[BarefootInTheMoonlitSnow]

I was gonna say I’d heard of it but not had it.

Then you posted about the onion with cloves and I’m sure I’ve seen that done at Christmas when younger but really don’t remember eating any

My family has RC, Presbyt & assorted others though so no idea as to which house I saw the clovey onion in.

[1forAll74]

My late Grandmother used to make bread sauce, mainly with a turkey at Christmas.She was a country woman from Staffordshire, it was popular there. I didn't much like it , but always ate it anyway, as with the other things on the plate,it was palatable enough. I have never had it since then though, and that was 1950 ish ha ha.

[MrsIronfoundersson]

Dublin lapsed Catholic here (as with all the other under 60s!) I love bread sauce, had it as a kid. I am a slattern though and buy it ready made from m&s.

[M0rT]

Dublin catholic with culchie parents and I think the first place I heard of Bread Sauce was on here...also pigs in blankets and cauliflower cheese... Mumsnet the culinary revelation

[MissMatty2hats]

I actually think there's some sort of weird bread sauce shortage at the moment. I work in a supermarket in Cork and we've had so many customers saying they can't find it anywhere. We never had it growing up, but my mother is averse to notions when it comes to food. The plainer the better in her eyes, flavour is the work of the devil!

[Lougle]

Bread sauce is a sick, sick thing. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. Unsure who's responsible for that grim creation, though.

[TheNighthawk]

English Catholic. Bread sauce always. In fact it is the whole point of Christmas Dinner IMO.

Mine has sweated onions, pureed, whole Jersey milk, warmed and infused for a day with bay leaves, whole cinnamon, allspice, cloves, blade mace. Whole spices then removed, breadcrumbs added and warmed through. Frozen thicker than I want it, then when thawed, warmed and a large dollop of thick cream stirred through. Nectar!

[SirSamuelVimes]

@TheNighthawk

English Catholic. Bread sauce always. In fact it is the whole point of Christmas Dinner IMO.

Mine has sweated onions, pureed, whole Jersey milk, warmed and infused for a day with bay leaves, whole cinnamon, allspice, cloves, blade mace. Whole spices then removed, breadcrumbs added and warmed through. Frozen thicker than I want it, then when thawed, warmed and a large dollop of thick cream stirred through. Nectar!

Drools...

[StylishChristmasTurkey]

I'm in Scotland and I always thought of it as an East coast vs West coast thing. DH's family (east coast) always have it while my family (west coast) have never had it.

Similar to the steak pie for NY dinner. Sausages in the steak for west coast and no sausages for east coast.

[TheBoots]

Half English/French Catholic here and I wouldn't dream of Christmas Dinner without bread sauce!

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

Irish Catholic family, and we never had bread sauce.

I saw it on the table at my Dad's cousin's house (posh) but nobody ate any. I didn't believe when my Dad told me what it was - I assumed it was like when he told me gooseberries were laid by geese.

[YouBoughtMeAWall]

NI catholic and never had bread sauce

[DramaAlpaca]

DH is an Irish Catholic (from the Republic) and has never had bread sauce.

I come from a northern English Protestant family and I've never had bread sauce either.

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

at gooseberries being laid by geese.

[Wbeezer]

It's an English thing, I'm a Scottish "prod" and never had it, it doesn't appeal!

[Mumski45]

C and D

[dudsville]

Atheist here, from the south, bread sauce growing up was vile (sorry mum) but Dad had to have it.

[sensiblesometimes]

we always had home made bread sauce with roast dinners (very easy to make from scratch) i still make it for my family , beacause it's easy . l'm english C of E

[5ambreakfastclub]

Scottish here and I had never heard of it until I met DH ( Norfolk) so I always assumed it was an English thing !

[TiredMary]

Irish Catholic parents. We never had it growing up (or pigs in blankets!). I always thought bread sauce was an English thing?

[frogswimming]

Well I'm English and I have it, dh (Irish catholic) doesn't. He thinks it's revolting. I thought it was English more than Protestant.