LONDON — More than 100 years of British tradition came to an end Friday as the final bottle of HP brown sauce — a popular alternative to ketchup — rolled off a production line at a factory in central England.

HP's U.S. owner, Pittsburgh-based H.J. Heinz Co., stuck by plans to switch production of the sauce to the Netherlands to save money, despite a high-profile campaign to keep it in Britain that saw protests outside the U.S. Embassy in London and lawmakers brandishing bottles of the condiment in the House of Commons.

A staple that is smothered over everything from fish and chips to the traditional English fry-up breakfast of sausages, bacon, baked beans and eggs, its advertising slogan proudly proclaims it is "The Official Sauce of Great Britain."

Its distinctive tall bottle carries a picture of the Houses of Parliament on a blue and red label, a feature that some protesters say the sauce should now be stripped of.

The decision to close the plant in Aston, Birmingham, in favor of a new factory in Elst in the Netherlands will also cost 120 jobs.

"The plant has been a landmark for 108 years. You could always smell it from miles away," said Joe Clarke, a spokesman for the Transport and General Workers' Union.

The sauce, a tangy mix of malt vinegar, dates, sugar, apples, tomato and spices, was invented by a Nottingham grocer and the recipe was sold to the Midland Vinegar Co. in the late 1800s.

There was immediate and strong opposition when Heinz announced its plan last August.

Local businesses launched a "save our sauce campaign" and lawmakers tried to get the condiment banned from food outlets in the House of Commons, with some waving bottles during a session of the prime minister's question time.