Yorkshire Puddings - PLUS

Celebrating
The Great Yorkshire 'Pud'

This weekend celebrates the Yorkshire Pudding. Up and down the country, households will wait in anticipation of the magic batter rising as the gravy simmers.

The love affair with this glorious pudding is particularly keen 'up north', where my own family members will make them and eat them the proper way - rate big'uns as starter wi' gravy.

For light, crisp, risen Yorkshires it is best to use goose fat or a light oil. The goose fat holds a higher heat and gives the puddings a wonderful flavour.

Having equal volume of eggs, milk and flour (plain) is the trick to making them rise:

• 140g of plain flower
• 4 eggs
• 200ml of milk
• Goose fat or light oil

Heat the oven to 240°C/gas mark 8 and put 1 tsp of fat or oil into the wells of a 12 hole muffin tray or pudding tray.

Make the batter by beating the eggs into the flour with a pinch of salt, then gradually whisking in the milk to avoid lumps.

Rest the batter for half an hour in the fridge, then whisk it again gently when you are ready to use it.

Get the fat or oil piping hot, putting the tray in the oven for at least 10 minutes. Now spoon batter into the hot muffin wells, filling each to two thirds depth. Return the tray quickly to the oven, close the door and leave it shut tight for 20 to 25 minutes. If you let air into the oven, the puddings won't rise.

Toad in the 'Mustard' Hole

This is an innovative variation on the basic Toad in the Hole - and it works.

For the batter (which is slightly thinner, using a greater proportion of milk than in the pudding batter) add a pinch of salt to 225g of plain flour and gently beat 3 eggs into it.

Now whisk 300ml of milk into the paste until you have a batter the consistency of double cream and free of lumps. Finally, stir 2 tbsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Wholegrain Mustard into the batter before resting it in the fridge.

In a hot oven, 220°C/gas mark 7, cook 8 amazing butcher's sausages in a little oil for 10 minutes until they start to brown. Good sausages won't 'puddle' in the roasting dish others might, so drain off any excess fatty water before pouring the batter into it and around the sausages.

Now back into the oven to bake for 30 minutes until the mustard infused batter swells and browns to hug the sausages in an honestly good blanket of yumminess.

Whether served as party food with rare roast beef and Stokes Creamed Horseradish Sauce, or a simple 'homely' family tea with Stokes Tomato Ketchup or Brown Sauce, Yorkshire Puddings or Toad in the Hole is supper made in heaven - is that why they call Yorkshire ... 'God's Country'.

The Roast 'Dinner' Collection

Our taste aficionados compared notes and shared their favourite food experiences when it came to The Sunday Roast - what were their preferred condiments to eat with beef, pork, lamb and chicken.

They agreed unanimously on these and we created The Roast 'Dinner' Collection.

More foodie thoughts for the week:

Saucy Suppers - 
Simple suppers to make tea times better, tastier and fun - here.




 



The Family Roast - 
OK, sit down, phones off, I'll carve. Conversation and great condiments make the Family Roast ... special - here.  








Vegan Made Better - 
We share this good looking, great tasting recipe with you and more in our social chat - here.

If we couldn't make it AMAZING...
we wouldn't make it at all.

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Saucy Suppers

Tea Time Made Better

Except for the little known Hoggan in Cornwall and equally rare Staffordshire Oatcake, England doesn't really feature its own flatbreads which, in one form or another, are a global food culture elsewhere. We have though adopted and adapted this versatile sustenance to deliciously versatile effect.

Flatbread 'Pizza' Toppings

You need a hot oven, shop-bought flat breads or flour tortillas, imagination and Stokes Sauces, Relishes & Condiments.

Try chopped mushrooms, red onions, red peppers and sweetcorn on flatbread spread with our Tomato Ketchup combined with Stokes Original BBQ Sauce. Scatter grated cheese over the top and bake until crisp and smoky hot. If you like a little chilli heat, add 1 or 2 tsp of Stokes Chilli Jam.

Slices of cooked chicken, smoked streaky bacon, with red onion, fresh coriander and grated cheese on Stokes Hot & Spicy BBQ Sauce is amazing - the flavours of Hunters Chicken on a fiery flatbread pizza..

For a lighter snack, open a pitta bread, fill it with Stokes Red Onion Marmalade, slices of crispy sweet apple and brie-style cheese warmed though in the oven for lunch.

Flatbreads - Made Better

Traybake Tasty

While your oven heats up to 220°C/gas mark 7, prepare the star ingredients - small or sliced sausages, red and orange peppers, mushrooms, tinned lentils or cannelloni beans, fresh thyme and rosemary.

Stir everything together in a large bowl with a soaking of olive oil and 2 tbsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Wholegrain Mustard, then spread the ingredients out in a roasting tin with a glass of white wine. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, turning the sausages and shaking the vegetables half way through.

I like to add a couple of dollops of our Brown Sauce at this stage, adding spicy goodness to the cooking juices - so tasty.

Spicy Meatballs & Pasta

You can of course use shop-bought meatballs or make your own like this:

For the sauce: soften 2 diced shallots and 2 grated cloves of garlic with 1 tsp of dried mixed herbs. Add 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 500ml of beef stock, 2 tsp of Harissa spices, 4 tbsp of Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup and a splash of red wine. Bring this up to boil, then simmer to reduce the volume by half.

[TIP: For a smooth classic sauce, blitz it with a hand blender when it first comes to the boil.]

For the meatballs: spoon 2 tbsp of our Red Onion Marmalade and 2 or 3 tsp of Stokes Chilli Jam into 400g of minced beef and roll 20 balls from the mixture. Fry them in olive oil, moving them around constantly to brown evenly all over. It's easier to do a few at a time then set each batch aside. Pop them into the simmering sauce for 10 minutes while cooking the spaghetti to the pack's instructions and enjoy.

Souper Salmon

This is a classic French sauce but without the effort of a true blanquette. It is a creamy sauce thickened with a roux.

Melt 50g of butter in a large pan then beat in 50g of flour to a creamy roux. Add 2 or 3 tsp of Stokes Dijon, Classic English, or our Cider & Horseradish Mustard and gently whisk in 1 litre of vegetable stock. As this is thickening, stir in half a tub of Philly-style cream cheese.

Cut 3 or 4 salmon steaks into bite-size chunks with a few sliced stems of spring onion.

Season with salt and pepper and simmer gently until the fish is cooked.

This is as easy as it gets and absolutely delicious with rice, pasta or new potatoes.

Tea Time - Made Better

More foodie thoughts for the week:

 


Yorkshire Pudding - 
Celebrating the perfect 'pud'. Sweet, savoury and of course as Toad in the Hole ... with a twist - here.

The Family Roast - 
OK, sit down, phones off, I'll carve. Conversation and great condiments make the Family Roast ... special - here.  


 



Vegan Made Better - 
We share this good looking, great tasting recipe with you and more in our social chat - here.

If we couldn't make it AMAZING...
we wouldn't make it at all.

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

The Family Roast

Sit Down, Phones Off -
Let's Eat

The Sunday Roast is a great occasion. Family gathering, roast potatoes and Yorkshire puds - aaaahh!

The kitchen steams as the vegetables bubble and that unique aroma of roasting meat gradually builds and moves from room to room, telling all that lunch will soon be ready.

Here's a tasty tip for a succulent, moist chicken. Spatchcock the bird first for even cooking and rub the skin with Stokes Real Mayonnaise for a shiny, crispy skin.

Now, make a 'fresh' trivet using celery, fennel, and citrus fruit. Pour in water to a level just below the trivet and pop the bird on top.

Cover for 20 minutes then uncover for the remaining 20 to 30 minutes until the skin is crispy brown and the juices run clear. It part steams, part roasts for the juiciest chicken you'll have tasted and the best gravy stock you will ever have made.

[TIP: The 'vegetable trivet' works so well with slow roast shoulder of lamb too.]

 

The Roast 'Dinner' Collection

Our taste aficionados compared notes and shared their favourite food experiences when it came to The Sunday Roast - what were their preferred condiments to eat with beef, pork, lamb and chicken.

They agreed unanimously on these and we created The Roast 'Dinner' Collection.

Stokes Mint Sauce

Our classic mint sauce is made with garden mint, white wine vinegar and unrefined raw cane sugar for the delicious simplicity of this 'almost' traditional sauce to serve with lamb.

We like to add a couple of teaspoons to the gravy, letting its acidity cut through the lamb fat and the mint flavour run through the sauce.

We used a couple of spoonfuls with Stokes Original BBQ Sauce to make a tasty marinade to tenderise and add flavour to neck of lamb before pan-roasting it - delicious.

Stokes Creamed Horseradish

A gentle, deliciously smooth creamed horseradish sauce that lets you enjoy its full flavour and won't bring tears to your eyes.

It's a truly elegant alternative made with combined wild and cultivated horseradish root and single cream.

TIP: try adding a couple of spoonfuls of our Creamed Horseradish Sauce into buttery smooth mashed potatoes.

It turns a good mash into a great mash in moments.

Stokes Redcurrant Jelly.

Everyone enjoys this rich, dark, smooth jelly, oozing with flavour from the very high fruit content (53% pureed redcurrant).

It's great with roast chicken, lamb or duck and just as good in a cold meat sandwich. Stir it into your gravy to give it delightful sweet notes to pour over your roast.

Stokes Bramley Apple Sauce

A traditional apple sauce packed with Bramley apples and a good dash of British dry cider for a simple delicious twist. A firm favourite for roast pork.

Stokes Classic English Mustard

This is a strong mustard made smooth in texture and smooth in taste - hot without the 'burn'. It complements your meat rather than competing with it. The heat is flavour not punishment.

The Roast 'Dinner' Collection

You can order your Roast 'Dinner' Collection here.

More foodie thoughts for the week:

 


Yorkshire Pudding - 
Celebrating the perfect 'pud'. Sweet, savoury and of course as Toad in the Hole ... with a twist - here.

Saucy Suppers - 
Simple suppers to make tea times better, tastier and fun - here.

 



 

Vegan Made Better - 
We share this good looking, great tasting recipe with you and more in our social chat - here.

If we couldn't make it AMAZING...
we wouldn't make it at all.

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Vegan Made Better

Don't miss the fun
on Facebook & Twitter & Instagram

Vegan - Made Better

Because of the quality of the ingredients we use to create our ketchup, relishes and condiments, most are suitable for vegetarian recipes and many for vegan dishes too. 

This spicy sweet potato flatbread with red cabbage, carrot, sun dried tomatoes and fresh coriander looks superb. With the zingy kick of our Chilli Jam and sweet garden mint purity of our Mint Sauce, it tastes as good as it looks. 

For more tasty flatbread ideas, click HERE.

This Facebook post reminded followers of the Four 'Fab' Gravies we gathered to accompany the Venison dishes we used to celebrate Burns Night last week. If you missed it, you can catch up with the Whisky Gravy and the Chilli, Chocolate & Berry sauce and others in our Burns Night article - HERE.

Last week we had the most amazing opportunity to hop on board one of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines' ships - Black Watch - to take a closer look at how well our range of sauces and chutneys fit into their food and beverage operations.

Many thanks to the crew of the Black Watch for the warm welcome you gave us.

More foodie thoughts for the week:

 


Yorkshire Pudding - 
Celebrating the perfect 'pud'. Sweet, savoury and of course as Toad in the Hole ... with a twist - here.

Saucy Suppers - 
Simple suppers to make tea times better, tastier and fun - here.

 





The Family Roast - 
OK, sit down, phones off, I'll carve. Conversation and great condiments make the Family Roast ... special - here.

If we couldn't make it AMAZING...
we wouldn't make it at all.

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Meat Free Character

Meat Free Monday & More

What is it that stops the sweet potato being my go to 'filler' instead of potatoes, pasta and rice? I honestly don't know - because they are delicious, however they're cooked and they are so good for you too.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

This fibrous source of vitamins and minerals is so easy to bake and a fantastic carrier of tasty fillings.

This is a tasty, pretty looking filling combining crumbly feta cheese, sweetcorn, cooked puy lentils, avocado and, adding a very different dimension, using pickled red cabbage for colour and kick. Mix the ingredients in a bowl with 2 tbsp of Stokes Olive & Balsamic Dressing, spoon into your baked sweet potatoes and dress with Chipotle Dressing - the result of combining Stokes Real Mayonnaise with our Chipotle Ketchup ... so tasty.

Vegetarian Paella

Almost anything goes as far as the vegetables are concerned here.

Try this: get a tin of green beans, a jar of roast red peppers, a deli counter tub of roast artichokes and olives. That's lots of flavour, colour and texture to add to the rice base.

Heat some rapeseed oil in a large pan to fry 1 finely diced onion, 2 chopped sticks of celery and half a sliced fennel bulb. After 5 minutes, add 2 grated cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard and a good dollop or three of our Tomato Ketchup.

Coat 150g of paella rice in the oil and vegetables before pouring a glass of white wine and 600ml of vegetable stock into the pan with a little saffron and a couple of bay leaves. Stir everything together, bring to the boil and simmer for 12 minutes.

Drain and slice your tinned, jar and deli ingredients, adding them to the rice base (with a drop of water if it looks too dry), season, lid on and let it steam through for 5 minutes more.

Meat Free Moussaka

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Finely slice 2 onions, grate 3 cloves of garlic and 1 carrot. Fry these in oil for 5 minutes with 1 tsp of Italian dried herbs and 1 tsp of dried oregano. Add 150g of green lentils to the pan with 600ml of vegetable stock and 1 tin of chopped tomatoes. Boil, cover, simmer for 10 minutes or so.

While this is simmering, slice 200g of sweet potatoes and 1 large or 2 small aubergines, drizzle with oil and roast them in the oven for 25 minutes until they are tender. Stir 4 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup into the lentils then begin to layer the ingredients into an ovenproof dish - potatoes, lentils, aubergine, potatoes, lentils, aubergine etc.

Finally mix 150g of crème fraîche, an egg, grated cheddar cheese and 1 tsp of Stokes Classic English Mustard, beating everything together before spooning it over the moussaka, finished with more grated cheese on the top. After 25 minutes in the oven you'll have a wonderful meat free moussaka to enjoy - yammas. 

Ketchup - Great Taste for all Occasions.

More foodie thoughts for the week:

 


Burns Night Venison - 
Celebrate Burns Night with Scottish Venison and one (or more) of these amazing gravies - here.








Magical Mustard - 
If you are left with only one condiment in the kitchen, make sure it's mustard-based and find out whys - here.
 






Breakfast Muffin: the Video - 
Enjoy this sizzling video, building 'the ultimate' English Breakfast Muffin. This and more - here.

If we couldn't make it AMAZING...
we wouldn't make it at all.

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Burns Night

First the Haggis, then...


Burns Night Suppers, whether grand or small, celebrate the birth of Robert Burns who was born on 25 January 1759.

Since not long after his death on 21 July 1796, Burns enthusiasts around the world have been celebrating his life and his genius with an evening steeped as much in history as it is in single malt.

More formal evenings get under way with the Selkirk Grace, which is often attributed to Burns but was apparently in use before he was born.

Some hae meat and canna eat,
   And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
   Sae sae the Lord be thankit.

The supper continues with a piper playing a stirring lament as he leads the haggis into the dining room to be paraded ceremoniously through the assembled guests as they applaud its arrival with a "slow hand clap".

We'll skip the haggis this year and head to the Highlands for Venison and a tasty wee sauce.

...Four 'Fab' Gravies for Scottish Venison

Slange var ~ cheers !

For the Whisky Gravy: Boil the alcohol off 150 ml of whisky for 2 minutes then stir in 1 tbsp of Stokes Dijon Mustard and 2 tbsp of Stokes Redcurrant Jelly.

In a separate pan, boil 500 ml of beef stock to reduce it by half then pour it into the whisky and mustard with 100 ml of double cream, heating it up before serving.

Loin of Venison

Classically outstanding, on the eye as well as the palate.

Work on a 400g loin for 2 people, cut in half and seasoned for cooking. (So for 4 people, 800g cut to 4 x 200g pieces.)

In a heavy based pan of foaming butter (with a splash of olive oil to stop it burning), sprinkle 1 tsp of thyme leaves. As they start to catch, put your 2 (or 4) pieces of meat into the pan for 2 minutes one side, 2 minutes the other and a minute each on the two uncooked edges (the maths doesn't quite work, but the cooking does). With each side seared, roll the loin pieces and baste well for 5 minutes before lifting the meat from the pan to rest.

Now, in the same pan's juices with the heat up, add 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp of Stokes Redcurrant Jelly, 2 tbsp of our Blackcurrant Extra Jam, 2 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup, a good splash of red wine and 175ml of strong beef stock. Reduce, reduce, add a knob of butter, reduce, taste, reduce - to make less considerably more.

Venison with Pears

Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. First, poach the pears - 1 each. Peel and core them then sit them in a buttered ovenproof dish with 250ml of red wine, a stick of cinnamon, sprinkling of caster sugar and a good knob of butter.

For a tight seal, cover the pan with foil, scrunching up the edges, before putting the lid on firmly then into the oven for 90 minutes. Set the pears aside to keep warm and keep the precious cooking liquor.

Finely dice 2 shallots and fry them in olive oil before adding Venison steaks for 3 minutes each side.

Set the steaks aside and deglaze the pan with a good glass of red wine (250ml) and the pears' cooking liquor. At a rapid boil, reduce the liquid by half before stirring in 2 tbsp of Stokes Redcurrant Jelly, 1 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce and a good knob of butter for a silky finish.

Venison with 
Chocolate Chilli Berry Sauce

For the venison, use steaks or loin cut into steaks - about 200g weight per person. 

For the fantastic sauce: In a saucepan, melt a knob of butter and fry 2 diced shallots and 2 chopped sticks of celery for 5 minutes. Now add 250ml of chicken stock, a glass of red wine (150ml) 3 tbsp of Stokes Redcurrant Jelly, 2 tbsp of our Blackcurrant Extra Jam. 

Reduce by half on a rapid boil then blend smooth with a hand blender. Now add 4 or 5 squares of good dark chocolate and 3 or 4 tsp of Stokes Chilli Jam. 

As the chocolate melts, blitz it again with the hand blender and stir a good knob of butter into the simmering liquid to give a velvet sheen to the sauce. When the steaks have cooked and rested, treat them (and yourself) to a good coating of this amazing sauce.

Ketchup - Great Taste for all Occasions

More foodie thoughts for the week:

 


Meat Free Character - 
Colour, character, texture and taste are all part of the joy of a meat-free kitchen - here.







Magical Mustard - 
If you are left with only one condiment in the kitchen, make sure it's mustard-based and find out whys - here.
 






Breakfast Muffin: the Video - 
Enjoy this sizzling video, building 'the ultimate' English Breakfast Muffin. This and more - here.

If we couldn't make it AMAZING...
we wouldn't make it at all.

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Magical Mustards

"What say you 
to a piece of beef and mustard"

William Shakespeare

Unless you know otherwise, there's no proven origin for the phrase to 'cut the mustard'.

An unproven suggested origin is that it refers to the ability - or not - of farm labourers to cut the coarse, stringy stems of the mustard plant from which the seeds - whole, ground, bruised or cracked - are used to make this, the most widely recognised condiment ... mustard.

Mustard

Whether used simply as a condiment on the side of the plate; blended with other sauces, such as mayonnaise and honey; or used as an ingredient to enhance a white sauce or cheese sauce...

For some amazing recipes using Mustard as an ingredient - CLICK HERE.

...Mustard is the 'must have' of all condiments

You can order you 'must haves' - here

Honey & Mustard Mayonnaise

This combination of ingredients is very special. It creates a deliciously sweet and spicy real mayonnaise made with wholegrain and Dijon mustards, honey and British free range whole eggs. For something really different try it on baked potato skins or in a bacon sandwich for a luxurious treat. Or whisk it with olive oil and honey for a tasty dressing.

Mustard & Dill Sauce

If you haven't tried this, you've missed a real treat. It is a traditional gravadlax, a spooning sauce with a gentle mustard tang and strong dill flavour for the perfect addition to smoked salmon.

Fold a couple of teaspoons into a salmon fishcake mixture for added 'wow'. Stirred into a white sauce and poured over grilled or baked fish, it adds a whole new meaning to 'yummy'.

Classic English

This is our own special take on an old English classic. Our recipe and amazing ingredients create a smooth and strong mustard but without the 'burn' you get with some that forget mustard is there to complement the flavours of the meat. If you like mustard we're pretty sure you'll love this!

Cider & Horseradish Wholegrain

Made with cider vinegar, British dry cider, horseradish and a blend of yellow and black mustard seeds this wholegrain mustard has everything. You'll find it is sophisticated, with delicious layers of texture and flavour.

Try coating 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.

Dijon

A strong, smooth mustard made with finely ground mustard seeds in the Dijon area of Burgundy, France.

To be good enough to carry the Stokes badge of taste and quality, we have chosen a truly wonderful Dijon Mustard to add to our collection.

Whisk a little into olive oil with a twist of salt and squeeze of lemon as a dressing for crisp chicory, brie and pears on toast.

Some just don't cut the mustard.

Stokes slices it - deliciously.

Mustard - the 'must have' of condiments

You can order you 'must haves' - HERE

More foodie thoughts for the week:

 


Meat Free Character - 
Colour, character, texture and taste are all part of the joy of a meat-free kitchen - here.







Burns Night Venison - 
Celebrate Burns Night with Scottish Venison and one (or more) of these amazing gravies - here.

 





Breakfast Muffin: the Video - 
Enjoy this sizzling video, building 'the ultimate' English Breakfast Muffin. This and more - here.

If we couldn't make it AMAZING...
we wouldn't make it at all.

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150