MAYONNAISE has toppled tomato ketchup as our favourite bottled sauce for the first time.

Industry figures show mayo sales rose by 6.9 per cent to £152.2million, while ketchup plunged by 2.7 per cent to £145.5million.

4 Tomato ketchup's sales have been driven door by spicy sauces such as peri peri sauce Credit: Alamy

By volume, ketchup was down by 4.2 per cent and its rival up 7.3 per cent in the year to April.

Experts say the shift is a sign of our changing tastes towards healthier foods and new flavours and varieties.

Ketchup sales have been hit as buyers turn to more exotic sauces such as peri peri and chilli chutneys.

But mayonnaise has not lost out to any particular alternatives and has helped sales with low-fat versions.

Its appeal has also been boosted because of a price war between major manufacturers such as Hellmann’s and Heinz, analysts Kantar Worldpanel noted.

Marketing expert Laurie Booker, of brand design agency Cowan, said mayo makers were promoting its natural ingredients such as free-range eggs and removing artificial colours and preservatives.

4 The amount spend on mayonnaise has gradually been rising over the past 12 months Credit: Alamy

4 Mayo sales rose by 6.9 per cent to £152.2 million and 7.3 per cent by volume whilst ketchup slowly decreased Credit: Getty - Contributor

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4 Mayonnaise's marketing as a healthier option has reportedly boosted its sales Credit: Alamy

He added: “There have been some interesting innovations within mayo while ketchup has remained largely the same.

“A wider flavour choice means mayo has become more appealing and intriguing.”