Queen Elizabeth’s English breakfast apparently gets a little Cajun spice. And in returning the favor, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has awarded a Royal Warrant to New Iberia-based The McIlhenny Co., maker of Tabasco sauce. For centuries, royal warrants have distinguished individuals or companies that have supplied goods or services for at least five years to the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh or the Prince of Wales and officially allows them to advertise that fact.
According to a press release from The McIlhenny Co., Tabasco sauce and England have historically enjoyed a very strong relationship, since the iconic pepper sauce was first exported there in 1874. During World War II, the Queen Mother had her staff search London for Tabasco sauce, which was in short supply due to wartime constraints. As her deputy controller of supply wrote in his memoir, My Twenty Years in Buckingham Palace, “The Queen [Mother], when she was told that there was no more Tabasco sauce, took the news philosophically.”
“We’re absolutely delighted to know that Tabasco sauce has a place at Her Majesty’s table," says McIlhenny Co. President and CEO Paul McIlhenny. "England has always been very loyal to us, consistently ranking among the top markets in international sales. This is indeed a proud moment in Tabasco history.”