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.

Scottish prod here too, we always have it. I think it’s a poor persons thing though? Something to bulk out the meal??

Am genuinely shocked by the number of people on this thread who have never even heard of bread sauce, have never tried it or don’t like it! I mean it’s lovely! So inoffensive, what’s there not to like?! But if turkey, not of sausage, bit of bread sauce, perfect! I have never met anyone who doesn’t like it! I’ll confess I have never made my own though (mixed heritage)

Ugh! Typos! That was meant to say a bit of turkey and a bit of sausage!

Catholic family here and my grandma always made bread sauce with Christmas dinner. There are currently 2 pots of it in my fridge ready for the big day.

NI Prod. Didn't grow up with bread sauce and had never heard of it until I married DH (also NI Prod) whose family always had bread sauce with Christmas dinner. So now we always have it, as well as gravy and cranberry sauce. He makes it every year - Mary Berry's recipe.

Hardcore Derry catholic family and if there was no bread sauce at Christmas there would've been war! Not just prods 😆

Definitely b

Knorr bread sauce has been discontinued, interestingly enough...
The rise of the poncey premade stuff over the packet stuff.

Irish Catholic mother, bread sauce with every roast.

My Irish Catholic father would demand this on Xmas day (even though he was the only one who ate it..)

Irish here: We always had it and I'm Catholic. Husband is Protestant and they never have it. Goes against your theory I'm afraid!

They love spiced beef though #boak

Bread sauce - just yuk.

My mom makes it, vile stuff! Catholic Irish, no idea if she got it from her own family though or just tried it elsewhere and liked it.

I adore bread sauce (and athiest here!)

I could eat it on its own. My special Christmas day tea is left over chicken, squashed stuffing balls, doorstop bread buttered with bread sauce (really.. Bread sauce sandwich 😂) and onion ring crisps. Heaven!

Swartz do a packet mix, Aldi do fresh, it's lush. I'm not Irish but insist on it with Xmas dinner.

Southern C of I here - never had bread sauce - my mum was NI Presbyterian and they never had it either. The one thing that is compulsory for Christmas dinner in our family is Cumberland Sauce for the ham. Oh, and many, many sprouts!

Did see jars in M&S this morning, though, OP, if you're still looking for some.

My mum’s Catholic and my dad was prod. We always had bread sauce at Christmas, and I always thought it was grim. I’m Catholic and have never had it since leaving home. No right thinking person would.
I’m now casting my mind back, but I can’t remember seeing it anywhere else, apart from our house (NW England)

Food of the gods! Goes with everything. I have been known to eat it straight out of the bowl... Homemade, always.

RoI catholic background here and it was always a fixture at xmas dinner when I was growing up. Rural too, so none of your townie notions! That said, DH from similar background had never heard of it before I introduced it (though he and his wider family now love it too).

nOT Sure, I'm an Irish protestant, although we don't say that, we are Church of Ireland. I think we had bread sauce growing up. But my mum used to dry the turkey and ham out for an extra half an hour and then put it on the radiator for an hour and finish it off with a hair drier. So, we took all the sauces that were going! ''What the hell is in this, yeh, I'll have some''.

My mother was Catholic raised in Ireland and we always had bread sauce. All her sisters served it too. Most of my English friends have it no matter what religion.

I remember my cousin having a quick vomit on Christmas day and then sitting back down again to continue eating. It was the brandy butter that had made him sick. That is another thing that we had as children but I'd never think to buy it now, never mind make it!! Although I bought brandy custard which looks nice.

My first proper part time job was in the lingerie department of dunnes stores. I remember getting my wages in a wee brown envelope and the artificial silk valentines sets. Urgh. Oh and sweeping for bombs every evening before closing (NI!)

Dublin catholic here and often had (packet) bread sauce with chicken. Never with Christmas dinner though.

My mother's family always have it and are catholic, some Irish and some English.

Scottish with strong links to N Ireland, proddy side. We always had bread sauce growing up. Mum used to make her own, I am a lazy cow and buy it in a tub from M&S.

DH is from Liverpool, parents aren't Catholic but grandparents were. No bread sauce there. (And they also cook the turkey the night before and have it cold on Christmas Day, the weirdos).

So A and B.