St David's Day Dining

Coginio Cymreig Traddodiadol

Traditional Welsh Cooking

It's St. David's Day on 1st March so expect things to be extra noisy at the rugby this weekend. St George had better be on his guard.

Welsh Rarebit

Make a roux with equal amounts of butter and flour (50g of each approx.) then gradually add 250ml of warmed beer. Add 250gm of grated Cheddar cheese together with 2 tsp of Stokes Classic English Mustard and a dollop of our Brown Sauce, seasoning and gently whisking it to a smooth sauce.

Slice some nice rustic bread, butter it and spread it with the wonderful cheesy sauce. Now pop it under a hot grill until you have an invitingly bubbly gratination of Welsh loveliness.

Glamorgan Sausages

If you haven't discovered these vegetarian leek & cheese sausages yet, now's the time. They pack bags of flavour and served with a combination of Stokes Red Onion Marmalade with a couple of teaspoons of our Chilli Jam stirred into it - it's delicious.

Gently fry to soften 120g of finely sliced leeks for 10 minutes. While this is happening, mix 100g of breadcrumbs with a good handful of chopped parsley, 1 tsp of thyme leaves and 150g of Caerphilly cheese in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat 2 egg yolks (keep the whites), season and whisk in 2 tsp of Stokes Classic English Mustard.

Spoon the leeks into the breadcrumb bowl with the mustardy egg yolks, beating everything together, then divide the mixture into 8 sausage-shaped portions. Line a tray with cling film, sitting the sausages on top.

Whisk the egg whites in a bowl and sprinkle 40g of breadcrumbs onto a plate. One at a time, dunk the sausages in the egg then coat well with the breadcrumbs. When all 8 are well coated, chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes. When you're ready, fry the sausages in a little oil for 8 - 10 minutes until crispy and brown all over. Serve with a salad and the Chilli Red Onion Marmalade (above).

Welsh Onion Cake

Onions never tasted so good.

Fry 3 large sliced onions with 3 tbsp of Stokes Red Onion Marmalade and 1 tsp of thyme leaves in a generous knob of butter. Put the lid on and cook gently for 10 to 15 minutes until they caramelise (the Onion Marmalade will help the caramelisation).

Peel and finely slice 4 or 5 floury potatoes, using a mandolin will give thin and even discs. Coat these with melted butter and plenty of seasoning in a separate pan. Crumble 150g of Caerphilly cheese in a bowl and stir in 2 tbsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Wholegrain Mustard.

Now, butter an oven dish then build layers of onion, potato discs and crumbled Caerphilly cheese, then onions, potatoes, more cheese finishing with a topping of overlaid potato discs. Bake the cake in an oven, pre-heated to 200°C/gas mark 6, for 40 to 50 minutes until the smell is irresistible and the potatoes are brown and yummy.

Seaweed Stuffed Welsh Lamb

Get your butcher to bone out a 2kg shoulder of lamb. Get him / her to loosely tie it as you are going to unroll and stuff it.

In a bowl, combine the following: 35g of dried Wakame seaweed (re-hydrated in water for 10 minutes); 40g of chopped samphire; a good handful of chopped parsley; 1 tsp of thyme leaves; 1 tsp of chopped rosemary; 75g of pine nuts; 3 grated cloves of garlic; 2 tbsp of Stokes Chilli Jam and 1 or more tbsp of our sweet, fresh Mint Sauce.

Open the lamb out, skin side down and spread the stuffing along the centre before rolling it tightly and tying it off. Weigh the trussed lamb, noting the weight, then place it in a roasting tin. Rub it all over with oil whisked with a little Stokes Classic English Mustard. Season well then it's into an oven, pre-heated to 200°C/gas mark 6, for 20 minutes per 500g. (It should take approximately 1 hour 20 minutes).

Condiments for all Seasons

More foodie thoughts for the week:


 

The Upper Crust - 
We challenge the Pie Purists' rules about 'proper pies' with tasty seafood, chicken and cottage pie recipes - here.








British Pie Week - 
What is a pie without a pickle? Meet the relishes, pickles and condiments for Pies Made Better - here.








Brunch, Lunch & Pancakes - 
For some lovely, colourful, delicious ideas conjured up by our innovative kitchen team, just click - 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 Upper Crust

Perfection in Pies

You would think that discussing pies would be a simple matter of fillings and pastry, but pie purists have much more to say on the subject. The argument is that a true pie has a pastry bottom, sides and top.

Where does that leave Shepherd's Pies and Fish Pies - out on the street according to traditionalists. And what of casseroles with a pastry top - pot pies - so popular on pub food menus. Again, not the real deal they say.

Well, we're not purists and, as you'll know from the tasty twists in many of our sauces, we're not always traditionalists - we just like things simple, honest and above all ... tasty.

Seafood Pie

The purists would turn their noses up at the very thought of us even referring to this as a 'pie'. But we love it.

Boil a handful of halved new potatoes until just tender and set them aside. Bring 370ml of white wine and 500ml of water to the boil and simmer 2 x 340g packs of mixed seafood (thawed) for 5 minutes.

Strain the seafood, setting it aside with the potatoes, reserving 250ml of the broth. Melt a good knob of butter in the pan and soften 2 x finely diced shallots. Make a roux with 2 x tbsp of flour adding 2 x tbsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard. Gradually add 500ml of milk and the reserved fish stock (reserved cooking liquor).

Spoon the seafood, potatoes and sauce into a baking dish. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry, trim it to the size of the dish, brush it with a beaten egg and pop it onto the filling.  Put this in an oven, pre-heated to 220°C/gas mark 7, for 15 minutes or until the pastry puffs up to a crisp brown top.

Chicken & Mushroom Pie

Soften a diced red onion in half and half oil and butter before adding 8 halved skinless, boneless chicken thighs to brown for 3 or 4 minutes. Add 8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon cut into squares with 1 tsp of thyme leaves.

Cook for a further 5 minutes then, off the heat, stir in 2 tbsp of flour, 2 tbsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard and 2 tbsp of our spicy grownup Brown Sauce. Gradually add 400ml of chicken stock and 200ml of milk bringing everything to a simmer to thicken the sauce, chicken and bacon mixture. Tip the whole thing into a bowl with 250g of button mushrooms and let it cool.

Stir everything together and spoon it into a baking dish. Roll 500g of puff pastry out to about the thickness of 2 x £1 coins. Cut it to an inch wider than the top of the dish, covering the filling and pinching the pastry tightly around the edges. Brush with a beaten egg, then into an oven, pre-heated to 220°C/gas mark 7, for 30 minutes until the pastry puffs up to a crisp brown topping.

Cottage Pie

Boil 2 or 3 large potatoes until they are just short of done, cool and slice into a collection of discs. Roughly chop and cook 2 x carrots until just soft, setting both the carrots and potato discs aside to cool.

Soften 2 diced shallots in a pan before adding 600g of minced beef until it browns. Add 2 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce, 3 tbsp of our Tomato Ketchup, 2 tsp of Stokes Classic English Mustard and 1 tsp or so of thyme leaves. Stir in 2 tbsp of flour then 400ml of beef stock, a glass of red wine and the cooked carrots and simmer for 25 minutes, seasoning to taste.

Tip everything into a baking dish, topping it with overlapping potato discs. Brush the potato topping with milk then into the oven, pre-heated to 200°C/gas mark 6, for 25 minutes or until the potatoes brown and crisp a little. This is fabulous simply served with peas, thawed and warmed in butter with a teaspoon or two of Stokes Mint Sauce.

Great Pies Deserve - A Shake of Great Taste

More foodie thoughts for the week:





St. David's Day - 
These Glamorgan Sausages and much more foodie fun are here to help celebrate the feast of the Patron Saint of Wales - here.







British Pie Week - 
What is a pie without a pickle? Meet the relishes, pickles and condiments for Pies Made Better - here.






 

Brunch, Lunch & Pancakes - 
For some lovely, colourful, delicious ideas conjured up by our innovative kitchen team, just click - here.

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

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

British Pie Week

Who Ate All the Pies

The Pork Pie is a true British classic. It is usually eaten at room temperature and consists of a thick and crumbly hot water crust pastry encasing a roughly chopped, highly seasoned pork filling.

For me, the best bit is the pork bone-stock jelly that lines the pastry sides.

After quite a battle in the European Court between Northern Foods and representatives of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association over 'protected status', the name Melton Mowbray can now only be applied to uncured pork-filled pies cooked without supporting hoops and made within a 10.8 square mile zone around the Melton Mowbray.

"The thing I can't resist is a pork pie. That's my idea of a lovely treat."
Delia Smith

Sweet, Rich & Fiery

 

Sticky Pickle

An absolute favourite for pie lovers.

A scrumptiously sticky pickle with our own unique blend of vegetables in a sweet and spicy sauce made with molasses and black treacle. This truly is - the Patron Saint of Pork pies.

Fig Relish

This little beauty is an absolute joy in a jar.

It is packed with juicy sweet marinated figs and a tang of cider vinegar, a thick relish that also sits beautifully on water biscuits with the maturity of a strong blue cheese.

 Classic English Mustard

 It's hot, it's smooth, it's an all round winner.

This is our own special take on an old English classic. Our recipe and amazing ingredients create a smooth, 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!

Red Onion Marmalade

A wonderful addition to just about anything.

This is one of our most popular relishes, being lusciously thick with caramelised red onions in sticky black treacle and a sharp balsamic finish. It's a full flavoured relish with a delicious sweet sauce, amazing with just about anything - try it with grilled cheese on toast.

Chilli Jam

Exciting taste sensations for anything needing a little added ‘wow’

This is a delicious sticky jam, oozing with flavour from the sweet chilli peppers, red peppers and chillis. Spoon it onto and into anything that deserves a bit of chilli enlightenment. Try it on cheese scones, spoon it into your chilli con carne or add a little 'bite' to a sheepish Shepherd's Pie.

Condiments for all Seasons

More foodie thoughts for the week:




St. David's Day - 
These Glamorgan Sausages and much more foodie fun are here to help celebrate the feast of the Patron Saint of Wales - here.








The Upper Crust - 
We challenge the Pie Purists' rules about 'proper pies' with tasty seafood, chicken and cottage pie recipes - here.







Brunch, Lunch & Pancakes - 
For some lovely, colourful, delicious ideas conjured up by our innovative kitchen team, just click - here.

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

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Brunch, Lunch & Pancakes

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

Brunch Made Better

For the best potato cakes, bake 4 potatoes in the oven for a couple of hours (the proper way), scoop out the fluffy white potato and mash it well. Mix in 1 or 2 tbsp of flour, 1 egg and seasoning, together with 2 tbsp of Stokes Red Onion Marmalade. If it is too wet, add a little more flour.  

[TIP: Try adding 2 tbsp of Stokes Creamed Horseradish Sauce into the potato mixture too.]

Form the mixture into equal sized patties and fry them until browned and crisp on each side. Mash the avocado flesh with a spoon or two of our aioli Garlic Mayonnaise. Poach a couple of eggs and serve brunch with Stokes Chilli Jam. 

For a gentler brunch packed full of taste, use Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup instead of or as well as the Chilli Jam.

I don't know what the kitchen team has been drinking this week, but put me down for a pint of it. They really are cooking on gas. Here's another wonderful looking potato dish to liven up your lunches.

Whatever they're drinking, I wouldn't be surprised if it has a spoonful of two of our Chilli Jam in it !!!

Unfortunately you're too late to enter the competition side of this Facebook post (start following to make sure you don't miss the next one) but it does inspire a delicious pancake dessert.

Do you know why we call our delicious Seville Orange Marmalade 'No.7'? It's because it is the 7th recipe we created and tested before we were proud enough to give it the Stokes badge of quality.

If you missed last week's Newsletter article on Pancakes - sweet as well as savoury - you can read it again - HERE.

More foodie thoughts for the week:





St. David's Day - 
These Glamorgan Sausages and much more foodie fun are here to help celebrate the feast of the Patron Saint of Wales - here.








The Upper Crust - 
We challenge the Pie Purists' rules about 'proper pies' with tasty seafood, chicken and cottage pie recipes - here.







British Pie Week - 
What is a pie without a pickle? Meet the relishes, pickles and condiments for Pies Made Better - here.

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

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Shrove Tuesday

Pancakes ... with a Delicious Difference


Shriven of our sins before the start of Lent, Christian faithfuls would use up their basic kitchen ingredients - eggs, milk, salt and flour - before their abstinence over Lent. Hence pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.

We would have pancakes every day at home, savoury as well as sweet, particularly with recipes like these.

The Perfect Orange Pancake 

You'll need: 

• 100 g of plain flour
• 2 large eggs
• 300 ml of milk
• 1 tbsp of sunflower or vegetable oil, 
• plus a little extra for frying
• Cointreau (if you have it) 
• 1 tsp of cornflour
• 175 ml of orange juice
• 1 tbsp Stokes Cranberry & Orange Sauce
• 3 tbsp Stokes Seville Orange Marmalade
• caster sugar, to serve (optional)

 
Here's how:

Put the flour, eggs, milk, into a bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk to a smooth batter. Set this aside for 30 minutes to rest.

Get the filling ready by melting the Cranberry & Orange Sauce and Seville Orange Marmalade in a saucepan with the orange juice, a knob of butter, splash of Cointreau and the cornflour until it combines to a syrupy sauce.

Wipe a flat pan with oiled kitchen roll and place it on a medium heat. When hot, cook your pancakes for 2 minutes or so on each side until golden, placing each between sheets of baking paper to keep warm in the oven while repeating the process with the remaining mixture.

Spread each with the fruity, sticky sauce and finish with a shake of caster sugar.

Just Add Stokes

Buckwheat Pancake or
Normandy Galette

Whisk 300ml of milk, 1 egg, a pinch of salt and 1tbsp of vegetable oil together in a large bowl before sifting 100g of buckwheat flour into it, whisking to a smooth batter. Rest the batter before cooking.

Add a teaspoon of oil to a hot pan, pour in an eighth of the mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden. Remove from the pan and place between sheets of baking paper to keep warm in the oven while repeating the process with the remaining mixture to create eight pancakes.

Typical Normandy Galettes are filled with smoked ham, runny cheese or cheese sauce and an egg, all washed down with a local cider.

Savoury Galettes

With a little Stokes Dijon Mustard whisked into the batter, the Galette Breton becomes a Galette Breton-Stokes. Chopped tomatoes with mature cheese are just begging for Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup and a touch of Stokes Chilli Jam.

Try rolling galette pancakes around great British 'bangers' with Stokes Brown Sauce for le 'ot dog Bretonnaise.

A savoury pancake wrap for avocado crushed with Stokes Garlic Mayonnaise, a few dots of our Chilli Jam, sliced peppers, red onion and radish makes a simple, quick, and truly tasty lunch.

Smoked Salmon Pancake Rolls

These are lovely things too.

Spread a little cream cheese on your pancake with a further coating of Stokes Mustard & Dill Sauce to give the layer of smoked salmon a gravadlax-style twist, finished with ground pepper and a squeeze of lemon. 

Now, roll the pancakes tightly and slice them into pancake rolls for delicious nibbles to enjoy with drinks, friends and conversation.

Enjoy, we know you will!

Pancakes, Imagination & Tasty Stokes

More foodie thoughts for the week:




By Bread Alone - 
For 'Real Bread Week' we look at some unusual and deliciously rewarding ways of creating 'yummy' with a variety of bread- here.








Creating the Classics - 
We look into some of Stokes' early steps in creating classic beauty in a bottle and joy in a jar - here.  




 


Tasty Discoveries - 
Chilli Jam on Halloumi Soldiers! Enjoy this and other tasty discoveries to try and share - here.

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

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

By Bread Alone

Quality has Risen

Real Bread Week (22nd February to 1st March) is an international celebration of additive-free bread, those that make it and those who seek it out.

The latter is the tricky bit, as there are so few independent bakers left, certainly not on the high street.

So it's a great excuse to head off to garden centres, farm shops and other independent centres of 'real food' excellence - the sort of place you're most likely to find Stokes' Sauces, Condiments and Relishes.

Take this scooped out ciabatta-style roll, filled with a variation on a Niçoise salad - tuna, egg, tomato, olives, basil, with peppers and celery for a little crunch. Drizzle it with Stokes Olive & Balsamic Dressing, topped out with a dollop of our Garlic Mayonnaise, or crowned with our Creamy Caesar Dressing - wonderful.

Taste - the Standards have Risen

Bao Buns

Bao, or Baozi buns are Chinese steamed buns, bread-like dumplings which take fillings such as this crispy duck, spring onions and cucumber with Stokes Hoisin Sauce ... deliciously.

Put 530g of plain flour, 7g of dried yeast, 40g of caster sugar and 15g of baking powder into a bowl (or mixer with a dough hook) with a good pinch of salt. In a measuring jug, combine 50ml of milk, 225ml of warm water and 25ml of vegetable oil.

Slowly add the wet to the dry, kneading constantly (mechanically or by hand). Once the mixtures are combined, continue kneading at a good pace for 3 or 4 minutes until you have a smooth, glue-like elastic dough.

Form this into a ball on a flour dusted worktop then rub about 1 tbsp of oil onto the surface of the ball and put it back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth then leave it to rise for up to 1.5 hours, until it doubles in size.

Shape the risen dough into 10 or 12 round buns then flatten them, pushing the dough out with the palm of your hand into ovals about 3cm thick. Steam them in batches in a steamer (or Heath Robinson improvisation of a cooling rack over a simmering pan of water with a lid) for 8 or 10 minutes, cool, open, fill and enjoy the experience.

By Bread Alone

Real Bread comes in so so many shapes, sizes, national representations and cultural centrepieces. What we put on it, between its slices; what we wrap in it, toast with it, grill, bake and roast with it, is equally broad and culturally significant.

An English Breakfast in an English Breakfast Muffin served with signature English Brown Sauce so deliciously interpreted by so English an independent producer as Stokes.

British pork in the form of sausages, bacon, black pudding with runny yolk from British free range eggs and Stokes Tomato Ketchup.

Italian ciabatta, American rye bread, Persian pita, Egyptian sourdough, Irish soda bread, Mexican tortillas - all wait for toppings and fillings inspired by our taste buds and 'made better' by Stokes.

Sourdough Brunch

Make a marinade to flavour halved cherry tomatoes and mini Mozzarella antipasti balls using Stokes Raspberry & Balsamic Dressing with our wholegrain Cider & Horseradish Mustard and a drop of orange juice whisked into it. Soak the cheese and tomatoes in the marinade with a good sprinkle of sea salt for half an hour or so.

Crush a couple of avocados with 2 tbsp of Stokes Garlic Mayonnaise, combining this fine aioli with the unique avocado flesh.

Toast thick slices of sourdough bread whilst a couple of eggs are frying, then assemble - spread the avocado, add a fried egg, top with the marinated tomatoes and cheese and scatter chopped mint with a twist of pepper and a drizzle of the now tomato-infused marinade over the top.

Savoury Bread Cake

Far, far more exciting than it sounds, this is a rustic Italian savoury cake, using stale bread soaked in milk and seasoning then baked with cheese, ham and tomatoes.

Cut about 300g of stale bread into small cubes, lay them in a flat baking dish and soak it with a couple of glasses of milk. Use a spoon to break the bread down, adding 2 eggs and 40g of grated Parmesan. Season and form the mixture into a dough.

Spoon half the dough into a large, deep frying pan, flattening it down with a spoon or spatula. Make a very thick cheese sauce stirring Stokes Classic English Mustard into it for a warming finish.

Now, lay slices of ham onto the dough, then a layer of tomatoes and 3 or 4 tbsp of our Bloody Mary Tomato Ketchup with oregano and basil then the thick cheese sauce on top. Spoon the rest of the dough onto this flavour packed layer, pressing it down, particularly around the edges, with the spatula. 

Put the pan into a medium oven for 7 or 8 minutes. Turn it out onto a plate then carefully slide it (the other way up) back into the pan and into the oven for 7 minutes more, until browned all over. Serve your Stale Bread Cake with a salad end enjoy the most amazing real bread meal you will ever have tasted.  

Taste - the Standards have Risen

More foodie thoughts for the week:




Pancake Imagination - 
We would have pancakes every day at home, savoury as well as sweet, particularly with recipes like these - here.








Creating the Classics - 
We look into some of Stokes' early steps in creating classic beauty in a bottle and joy in a jar - here.  








Tasty Discoveries - 
Chilli Jam on Halloumi Soldiers! Enjoy this and other tasty discoveries to try and share - here.

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

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150