Remember when Heinz tried to rename Salad Cream as Sandwich Cream? Well this week it has attempted to up the sauce stakes even higher by launching a new condiment called ‘Mayochup’ in the US.
The sauce is exactly what it says on the tin – a fusion of ketchup and mayonnaise (and a few spices) in a squeezy tube. It has gone on sale in some cities across America and Heinz has hinted that the UK could well be next.
But we have questions. Like, do we even need Mayochup? Can those with a passion for merging their sauces not continue to do so of their own accord? And the slam dunk: isn’t Mayochup just a basic version of Marie Rose sauce?
Twitter users have a few queries too...
A poll by Heinz in the US received almost one million votes and revealed that a staggering 500,000 people were in favour of making Mayochup a reality.
Nicole Kulwicki, Director of Marketing for Heinz, said the launch was a no-brainer. “We’re excited to officially welcome Heinz Mayochup sauce to the Heinz family of products, including ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce and our most recent addition, Heinz mayonnaise,” she added.
The brand has launched a similar poll in the UK to find out whether it’s something us Brits want. Martina Davis, senior brand manager for Heinz, said: “There was very clearly an outpouring of love towards the idea of Mayochup earlier this year. We were listening and want to let the people decide whether Mayochup is something UK consumers want to see on supermarket shelves next year.
“We are massively excited about the possibility of Mayochup being enjoyed on the nation’s dinner plates, so would encourage everyone to head to our Twitter page to take part in the vote.” (You can do that here if you’re so inclined.)
So how does Mayochup differ to Marie Rose (or seafood) sauce, which you can already get in most UK supermarkets?
Marie Rose sauce is typically made up of tomato sauce, mayo, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, salt and pepper; but a basic version can definitely be made by just mixing up a bit of Tommy K and mayo.
Davis told HuffPost UK: “Mayochup is a mix of the flavours of tomato ketchup and mayonnaise. The recipe for Mayochup will be perfected by our culinary experts and research teams once we know if the UK public would like to see Mayochup here in the UK.”
So far, so similar. We’ll just have to stay tuned.