Valentines Day - an affair of the heart

We love 'taste'

It's Valentine's Day and as we all know, St Valentine is the patron saint of florists and restaurateurs.

No, not really though the real origins are no less brutal. It is said that from 13th to 14th February, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. 

This was a very ancient annual pastoral festival observed in the city of Rome to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility amongst its inhabitants.

As with many such celebrations, Emperor Claudius II took things too far by executing two men who had each been named Valentine. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.



Start as you mean to go on
Simplicity says 'I love you'. 

Stokes Tomato Ketchup - Award-winning, this is the ketchup of ketchups - packed with plump, sweet tomatoes that have ripened on the slopes in southern Italy. We gently simmer 200g of them for every 100g of thick, juicy tomatoey ketchup.

 Stokes Real Mayonnaise - this is really very special. We use only whole eggs from British free range Welfare Assured hens into which we drizzle very fine British rapeseed oil to create the product's core.

Then, to make our real mayonnaise stand out from the rest, we add extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil from Crete. Stokes Brown Sauce - our 'grownup' sauce shares its sensational aromas the moment you unscrew the lid. It's sweet and spicy with rich date puree, black treacle and a unique blend of Persian spices.

An affair of the heart

Tomatoes not only taste good, look good and add so much to all types of cooking - but they are good for you too.

It is because of the Vitamin B and potassium in tomatoes that they are so good for your heart. Best of all: no fat and no cholesterol.

Cooked tomatoes particularly are an excellent anti-carcinogenic.

They are effective in reducing cholesterol levels and lowering blood pressure. So by including tomatoes in your regular balanced diet you can help improve your general health.

Is it any wonder then that our Award-Winning Tomato Ketchup is made with so many of the little beauties.



A hearty meal

Beef hearts cooked properly are full of flavour and so so tender. For this very simple recipe, use 2 kg of beef heart.

First wash the meat, removing any fat and arteries (your butcher should do this for you). Cut them in half and then into 1cm slices. Toss the meat in seasoned flour and brown quickly for a minute in foaming butter.

Put the browned meat in a casserole with a sliced onion, chopped carrot, swede, celery and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme. Pour in 250 ml of beef stock, 125 ml of red wine with 2 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce and 1 tbsp of Cider & Horseradish Mustard. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

It's fantastic with buttered kale and mashed potatoes with Stokes Creamed Horseradish Sauce.

More foodie thoughts for the week:





 Breakfast in bed - say 'I love you' with eggs here.

 




 

 


Watch the curd unfold over the sponge in our tasty video here.










Meet Stokes Breakfast Collection - best meal of the day here.

 
If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150