Branston
Branston is a British food brand best known for its sweet, tangy, vegetable-based Branston Pickle.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Branston is an English food brand whose signature product is Branston Pickle, a chunky relish made from diced vegetables preserved in a thick sauce containing vinegar, tomato, apple and spices. The product is closely associated with British everyday eating, particularly cheese-and-pickle sandwiches and the ploughman's lunch traditionally served in pubs. Its flavor profile is sweet, sour and mildly spicy, and its texture is closer to a chunky chutney or relish than to a smooth vinegar pickle. The product originated in 1922 at a Crosse & Blackwell factory in Branston, Staffordshire. Its culinary background reflects the influence of Indian pickles and chutneys encountered by Anglo-Indians during the British Raj. Preserve-based accompaniments were adapted for British tastes and became useful additions to meals built around salted meat, bread and other relatively plain foods. Branston's recipe uses diced vegetables including swede, carrots, onions and cauliflower, combined with a dark, sticky sauce. Over time, the brand became a familiar supermarket and food-service accompaniment to cheese, cold meats and sandwiches. The original Branston factory was not economical to operate for the long term. Production therefore moved to Crosse & Blackwell's E. Lazenby & Sons operation in Bermondsey, London, where new buildings were added in the 1920s. That site remained associated with production until 1969. The brand subsequently developed beyond its flagship pickle, with extensions including mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, salad cream, baked beans, piccalilli and brown sauce. Product formats have also diversified, including standard chunky pickle, small-chunk pickle, smooth pickle and squeeze-bottle packaging. Ownership changed several times. Nestlé acquired the Crosse & Blackwell Group in 1960. In 2004, Nestlé sold the pickle business to Premier Foods, which moved production to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. Premier Foods later sold the Branston brand to Japan-based food manufacturer Mizkan Group in late 2012 for £92.5 million. Branston subsequently became part of Mizkan's UK portfolio alongside brands such as Sarson's and Haywards, while manufacture continued at Bury St Edmunds. Branston has also been used as a platform for competition in adjacent grocery categories. In 2005, Premier Foods introduced Branston Baked Beans and promoted them as an alternative to the leading established brand in the UK baked-bean market. The company used blind-tasting activity and an advertising campaign built around the product's sauce. Other developments included Branston Relishes in several flavors during the mid-2000s, a sweet-chilli pickle and revised sauce products around 2015, and single-serving sachets for ketchup, mayonnaise and brown sauce in 2017. The brand remains active and is primarily identified with the British market and with its original pickle.
History
Branston's history begins in 1922, when Crosse & Blackwell produced the first Branston Pickle at its factory in Branston, near Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire. The recipe belonged to a wider British tradition of adapting Indian pickles and chutneys. During the period of the British Raj, Anglo-Indians encountered and prepared many forms of preserved vegetable and fruit accompaniments. These products were later brought to Britain, where cooks modified them for local ingredients and tastes. Branston Pickle developed within this broader exchange, combining chopped vegetables with a sweet-and-sour sauce based on vinegar, tomato, apple and spices. The original Staffordshire factory was eventually considered uneconomical. Production was transferred to Crosse & Blackwell subsidiary E. Lazenby & Sons in Bermondsey, London. New buildings were added at the Bermondsey site in 1924 and 1926, and the location remained in use until 1969. Although manufacturing locations changed, the Branston name continued to be associated with a distinctive chunky relish. Its most established use was alongside cheese, especially in sandwiches, and as part of the ploughman's lunch served in British pubs. The brand's corporate history reflects the consolidation of the British packaged-food industry. Nestlé bought the Crosse & Blackwell Group in 1960. In 2004, Nestlé sold the pickle business to Premier Foods. Following that transaction, production moved to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, which remains the manufacturing base identified with Branston in the available reference material. In late 2012, Premier Foods sold Branston to Mizkan Group for £92.5 million. Mizkan is a Japanese food manufacturer, and the acquisition placed Branston alongside other former Premier Foods brands, including Sarson's vinegar and Haywards pickled onions. The Crosse & Blackwell brand in Europe was sold separately to Princes Group. Under Premier Foods, Branston expanded beyond its traditional pickle. The range included mayonnaise, ketchup, salad cream, baked beans, piccalilli and brown sauce. In 2005, Branston Relishes were introduced in four reported flavors: Hot Chilli & Jalapeño, Gherkin, Sweet Onion, and Tomato & Red Pepper. That same year, Branston Baked Beans became the focus of a substantial competitive marketing effort aimed at challenging Heinz's position in the British market. The promotion included advertising centered on the beans' sauce and a public blind-tasting exercise called the Great British Bean Poll. The cited account states that 76% of participants selected Branston over Heinz and that Heinz subsequently changed its recipe; the available material does not establish a direct causal relationship beyond that reported sequence. Further range development included a sweet-chilli pickle around November 2015, a relaunch of the Rich & Fruity sauce and the addition of Rich & Spicy and Rich & Smoky sauces. In 2017, the brand introduced single-serving sachet formats for tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and brown sauce. Branston has also appeared in co-branded or adjacent snack products, including a Walkers Cheese and Branston Pickle crisp variety produced from around 2003; the reference material states that this product had been discontinued by 2023. Branston remains an active brand, with its strongest identity still rooted in the original pickle and its role in British domestic and pub food culture.
- 2017
Single-serving sachets launched
[1]Branston introduces sachet formats for tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and brown sauce.
- 2015
New pickle and sauce variants appear
[1]Branston adds a sweet-chilli pickle and refreshes its sauce range with Rich & Fruity, Rich & Spicy and Rich & Smoky variants.
- 2012
Mizkan acquires Branston
[1]Premier Foods sells Branston to Mizkan Group for £92.5 million.
- 2005
Baked beans and relishes expand the brand
[1]Premier Foods launches Branston Baked Beans and introduces a four-flavor Branston Relishes range.
- 2004
Pickle business moves to Premier Foods
[1]Nestlé sells the pickle business to Premier Foods, which moves production to Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
- 1960
Nestlé acquires Crosse & Blackwell Group
[1]Crosse & Blackwell becomes part of Nestlé through the acquisition of its group.
- 1926
Further Bermondsey facilities added
[1]Additional buildings are added to the Bermondsey operation, which remains in use until 1969.
- 1924
Bermondsey production expansion
[1]Crosse & Blackwell's E. Lazenby & Sons subsidiary adds new buildings in Bermondsey after production is moved from the uneconomical Branston factory.
- 1922
Branston Pickle is first produced
[1]Crosse & Blackwell makes the first Branston Pickle at its factory in Branston, Staffordshire.
Products and positioning
A familiar British grocery and condiment brand centered on a sweet, tangy, vegetable-rich pickle, with extensions into sauces, relishes and other everyday accompaniment products.
Pickle and relish · 1922
Branston Pickle
The signature Branston product is a thick, sweet-and-tangy relish made with diced vegetables such as swede, carrots, onions and cauliflower. Its sauce combines vinegar, tomato, apple and spices, creating a chutney-like consistency with a mildly spicy, savory-sweet flavor. It is commonly served with cheese, sandwiches, cold foods and the British ploughman's lunch.
Pickle and relish
Branston Small Chunk Pickle
A smaller-cut version of the original pickle, intended to provide a finer texture while retaining Branston's characteristic sweet, acidic and savory profile.
Pickle and relish
Branston Smooth Pickle
A smooth, pureed interpretation of Branston Pickle. The format is designed to spread more easily on bread and other foods than the traditional chunky version.
Relishes · 2005
Branston Relishes
A range introduced in four reported varieties: Hot Chilli & Jalapeño, Gherkin, Sweet Onion, and Tomato & Red Pepper. The line extended the brand's pickle expertise into differently flavored vegetable relishes.
Canned foods · 2005
Branston Baked Beans
A baked-bean product launched by Premier Foods as a direct challenger to the leading established baked-bean brand in the United Kingdom. Its introduction was supported by a prominent taste-testing campaign and advertising focused on the beans' sauce.
Sauces and dressings
Branston Sauces
Branston's broader sauce portfolio has included tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, salad cream and brown sauce. The brown-sauce range has also been described through Rich & Fruity, Rich & Spicy and Rich & Smoky variants, with selected products later offered in sachets.
Pickle and relish
Branston Piccalilli
A piccalilli product included among Branston's extensions beyond its original pickle, placing the brand within the wider British tradition of preserved vegetable accompaniments.
Marketing campaigns
- 2005Great British Bean Poll
United Kingdom
Branston promoted its newly launched baked beans through a nationwide blind taste test against the established market leader, understood from the context to be Heinz. The cited source reports that 76% of participants preferred Branston.
Outcome. The campaign gave Branston a strong comparative claim in its launch marketing. The reference also reports that Heinz changed its recipe afterward, although it does not independently establish the extent to which Branston's campaign caused that change.
- 2005Branston Baked Beans advertising
United Kingdom
Advertising for Branston Baked Beans used a talking bean tin and emphasized that the product was particularly "saucy," supporting the brand's attempt to compete in a strongly established category.
Outcome. The campaign accompanied the product launch and the Great British Bean Poll; a separate long-term market outcome is not specified in the available material.
Brand decisions
2012
Mizkan acquires the Branston brandM&ABackground
Premier Foods sold several established food brands as part of a portfolio transaction involving Mizkan Group.
Action taken
Mizkan acquired Branston for £92.5 million in late 2012.
Aftermath
Branston joined Mizkan's British brand portfolio, while production continued at Bury St Edmunds.
Brand sale price. £92.5 million (Late 2012)
2005
Branston enters baked beansProduct launchBackground
The brand sought to use its established reputation in British food and condiments to enter the highly competitive baked-bean category.
Action taken
Premier Foods launched Branston Baked Beans and supported the product with comparative advertising and blind tasting.
Aftermath
The launch generated a direct competitive challenge to Heinz; the cited material reports that Heinz later changed its recipe.
- Heinz — The reference reports that Heinz changed its recipe after Branston's aggressive promotional activity, without providing further detail.
2004
Premier Foods acquires the pickle business and relocates productionM&ABackground
Nestlé sold the Branston pickle business to Premier Foods as part of the changing ownership structure of the Crosse & Blackwell food operations.
Action taken
Premier Foods acquired the business and moved production to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.
Aftermath
Bury St Edmunds became the continuing manufacturing location identified with Branston in the available reference material.
Sources1 sources
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