When it comes to sauces, people see the nation as split into red and brown camp, with people staunchly loyal to their condiment of choice. These allegiances are made even clearer when faced with a particular dish, with everyone having their view on what really elevates the meal to the next level.

We’ve surveyed the nation to find out which bottle we’re drawing for the most with iconic dishes and discover if our sauce habits differ regionally.

Ketchup reigns supreme over the condiments with 15% of the total vote, with the classic bottle of red showing no sign of relenting its popularity any time soon. Mayo also proves itself as a staple of the British table, claiming second place with 13% of respondents listing that as their favourite. The controversial Horseradish sauce did not fare as well, with the intense bite and spiciness of this condiment proving too much for most people’s palates.

While it might be widely assumed that northerners would be the ones with an affinity for gravy, it was only those in Belfast and Plymouth that listed the rich and meaty staple as their favourite. Several cities listed either mayo or brown sauce as their number one, with Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, and Norwich all kicking the red trend. Manchester and Leeds also put aside their rivalry and agreed that ketchup should be crowned king of the condiments, and mustard should be placed bottom. As for the rest of the nation, they were united in their love for ketchup and disdain for Horseradish.

As underdog for first place as the nation’s favourite, this creamy condiment fared well in the regional rankings, with Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Norwich and Southampton all listing it as their favourite. People in Brighton also feel strongly about the egg-based dressing, though they showed a firm dislike instead, with over 16% of respondents listing it as their most hated.

People in Southampton are most likely to put mayo on their Full English

Manchester is guilty of putting mayo on roast dinners the most

Londoners are even reaching for the jar when they have Chinese food

The glorious combination of tomatoes, sugar and vinegar is the go-to option for most classic dishes, even eclipsing classic pairings such as fish, chips, and tartar sauce. Gravy remains a favourite for hearty comfort food such as cottage pie and the classic roast dinner. Mayo has also been deemed the ultimate pairing with an indulgent late-night kebab.

Perhaps the most hotly contested topic around sauce etiquette is what to have with the humble breakfast sandwich or fry up. We’ve split the results regionally to see what the nations preferences are when it comes to one of the more important culinary decisions.

For sandwiches, Scotland were united in their love for brown sauce, with both Glasgow and Edinburgh favouring this option. The fry up divided opinion however, with Glasgow still reaching for brown sauce the most and Edinburgh for red.

Down south in London and Brighton, tomato sauce was the pairing of choice for all these classic breakfast dishes.

Those who favour meat are never far away from a bottle of ketchup at dinner time, with vegetarians also selecting this as their preference. For vegans, the fragrant spice of curry sauce is their go-to dinner time favourite. Interestingly, all but pescatarians listed Horseradish as their most hated condiment.

We’ve all been with someone who opts to smother their dinner with their sauce of choice, and then there are those who prefer the moderation and even coverage of a dip.

Overall, we are a nation of dippers with 35% of people in total selecting this. Pouring is still popular however and was the pick for 31% of respondents. 29% like to enjoy the best of both worlds, and said they were equally likely to do both.

We surveyed a national representative of 2,006 respondents to find out the nation’s favourite sauces, and most common sauce habits.

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