We finished last week's special Newsletter in the olive groves of Crete. The dust from the vibrating trees and noise from humming generators filled the air. It's the olive harvest, when everyone stops their normal work and routines to help bring the olives from the fields to the mill for pressing.
The transformation from peaceful olive groves to the latest pure batches of luscious dark green Koroneiki extra virgin olive oil is an annual event, essential to the lives of everyone on Crete and, so essential to Stokes.
This is the extra virgin olive oil that makes Stokes Real Mayonnaise so extra special.
After the harvest - the celebrations.
Villagers gather to feast, dance, sing and honour the quality of the new season pressing. Extravagant it's not, but delicious it most certainly is. Chaniotiko boureki is a courgette and potato pie. Gamopilafo is a celebratory rice dish, a type of risotto made with the broth of the boiled lamb or chicken meat that's served with it.
Kleftico is a firm favourite with every village seeming to have its own take on this aromatic slow cooked lamb dish. Ntacos are a type of barley rusk served as a brochette with tomatoes, feta cheese and olives. And Chochlioi Boumpouristoi are snails, gathered in the hillsides and fried in the new pressed olive oil.
Competition Time
If you haven't already entered our competition to win a 3 x night trip to Crete then click on the image (right) and you can do so now. Good luck.
Where do you buy your Stokes
Stokes Sauces are available in more and more retailers. Stores wanting to stock and sell these premium (that means great tasting, made with high quality ingredients, so just a little more expensive - but worth every tasty penny!) ketchups, mayonnaise, relishes and preserves are increasing daily. Sainsbury's is the latest to stock our Real Mayonnaise, as well as Waitrose, Ocado, The Co-op East of England and Booths in the north.
If you prefer shopping at a more leisurely pace and enjoy browsing as much as buying, perhaps you use a smaller, independent retailer.
Independent retailers
such as Farm Shops, Delicatessens, Butchers, Garden Centres etc, often stock a
wider variety of Stokes products than supermarkets. Stokes fits in so well alongside
the quality and dependability of their other fine products. Here, discerning shoppers
expect something rather special as part of the more personal shopping
experience they enjoy.
And of course, you can put your feet up and make your purchases on line from our shop - here.
Perceptive foodies buy
and enjoy Stokes from Iceland to the Falklands and Chile to Hong Kong.
If you like cranberry sauce - you'll love this
Stokes Cranberry Sauce is a beauty, crammed with a host of big juicy North American cranberries. Knowing
eyes have watched them bubble gently with sugar to balance the sweet
tartness of this intensely fruity sauce.
We thought we
couldn't possibly improve on that - but we did, by letting it cook with
Ruby Port and adding the zest of Seville oranges, creating a rounder
taste with citrus sensations.
The Cranberry & Orange Sauce with Ruby Port was born.
As if that wasn't enough, we have just made an extra special limited edition version - the
Orange Cranberry & Cinnamon Conserve.
This has a uniquely sweet intensity and spicy aromatics which add a
festive spoonful of Christmas to the sauce. However, it is only
available in the '
Taste of Luxury' gift collection...:
The 'Taste of Luxury' & 'Selection for Cheese'
The '
Taste of Luxury' selection contains three unique preserves, each crafted especially for this gift tube. And the ‘
Selection for Cheese’ contains three of Stokes cheese-friendly favourites.
The '
Taste of Luxury'
The
Blackcurrant Extra Jam with Claret is intensely fruity, sweet with sour berry notes and textures. Spread
it on toasted crumpets with oodles of butter.
Stokes
Spiced Winter Chutney gives us every essence of Christmas fruit spices in a jar. It adds
jingles to sausages and bells to cold beef.
And the
Orange Cranberry & Cinnamon Conserve has a uniquely sweet intensity of consistency, aromatics and taste. Glaze the best bread & butter -
ever.
The ‘
Selection for Cheese’
Fig Relish with its abundance of sweet, juicy figs - it's fabulous with smoked cheese melted on toasted baguette slices.
Chilli Jam deliciously rich with a vibrant finish - try a spoonful in hot chocolate with a shot of Baileys.
Last but by no means least, our
Red Onion Marmalade, lusciously thick with sweet caramelised onions - it's amazing with just about anything - cheese loves it.
These are available in selected independent retailers, and on line here.
Great tastes of Winter
As the evenings get notably darker sooner, we like to make sure that our store cupboard is loaded with tasty treats to make supper time easier. Just reach out and add:
These are just a few ideas you may not have tried:
You are all more than likely to be familiar with
Stokes Real Mayonnaise.
It was one of the first products to benefit from Stokes passion for
quality derived by our unerring insistence of using the finest
ingredients possible.
We use Extra Virgin Koroneiki
olive oil from Crete. It has a beautiful dark green colour, rich in
Mediterranean flavour. This, together with whole eggs from British free
range Welfare Assured hens makes it stand out from the rest.
To the core mayonnaise we add real lemon zest to create our
Lemon Mayonnaise for a superbly fresh flavour
with a strong lemon tang. Perfect with fish and seafood and a refreshing touch
for salads, especially new potatoes.
Tomatoes are the
backbone of our core products. Their quality and consistency are paramount. We
eventually found what we needed ripening in the Mediterranean sunshine on the
hillsides of southern Italy.
That’s quality, now quantity: we use a massive 200g of these beauties in
every 100g cramming pure deliciousness into every bottle.
To
our classic tomato ketchup we added a twist, with a dash of real vodka
and a splash of Worcestershire sauce for a touch of Bloody Mary spice in
Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup. Try mixing it with or Real Mayonnaise for a wonderful
Bloody Mary Rose Sauce.
Other ketchup twists include:
These three sauces should be in every food lover's store cupboard on the run up to Christmas festivities.
The
Mustard & Dill Sauce
is a classic gravadlax - perfect with smoked salmon and alongside
poached salmon. Try baked cod and roast tomatoes with creamy mashed
potatoes and a spoonful of Mustard & Dill in the mash.
The
Cider & Horseradish Mustard
is as beautiful as it is versatile. Stir it into chicken stock for a
delicious gravy; spoon it into mash for extra wow; coat cocktail
sausages in a mixture of it and honey for a party hit; or revitalise
cold cuts of ham with warming mustard flavours and tangy bursts of mustard seed
heat.
For the perfect, speedy Coronation Chicken, mix two parts
Stokes Coronation Sauce to one part Philadelphia cream cheese and fold to coat shreds of cooked, cold chicken. Instant, smooth and oh
so full of flavour.
For a great party dipping sauce, try Coronation Sauce with creme fraiche with plenty of chopped fresh tarragon ... fab - u - lous!
The last store cupboard essential for the coming social season is our
Sweet Chilli Sauce. It does exactly what it says on the bottle - only better.
Made
with red chillies and red peppers it overflows
with the vitality of the orient. With its sweet, clean taste it is
deliciously versatile - use as a dip, a glaze, a marinade or add it for
the last minute to a stir fry.
Also...:
-
Mix with a dash of vinegar, lemon juice, honey and garlic as a marinade or dressing.
- Drizzle over a selection of nuts and lightly roast on a baking tray
for 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Ta daa...a Sweet Chilli snack!
- Use as a dip for crisps, celery, carrots...or whatever takes your fancy.
- Spread on toast and top with cheese before grilling for cheese on toast with a difference!
-
Mix a few tablespoons with cream cheese before stirring into pasta.
- Mix with Real Mayonnaise for a Sweet Chilli Mayo - another perfect part dip.
Supper time should be a super time !
If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)
FOOD MADE BETTER
01394 462150
What will you be roasting next week? Are you a traditionalist with a beautiful Norfolk Bronze Turkey or will it be a rib of beef - perhaps a goose? 
Our 'ultimate' is a simple fayre. 
Stocking up for Christmas
