Remember, remember, great food in November

Is this your fridge ?

The typical fridge of a Stokes Sauces lover.

These are just some of my own essentials. Stokes Redcurrant Jelly adds an instant sweet depth to a gravy that's missing 'that little something'. Lurpak, usually unsalted but they didn't have any when I needed it. Cider & Horseradish Wholegrain Mustard - two spoonfuls in a thick creamy sauce with diced smoked ham and chopped leeks is fantastic over pasta.

Red Onion Marmalade is a must with cheese and pate suppers, as well as the delicious Fig Relish. Bloody Mary Ketchup and Stokes Real Mayonnaise are the ultimate treat on Fish 'n' Chips night.

The thick, smokiness and sweet molasses in Stokes Original BBQ Sauce added to a beef gravy flavoured further with Knor's bottled Beef Stock add intense rich, deep, smoky flavour to a gravy. Chop some roasted red peppers into it, let the flavours marry and drown you butcher's sausages in the pure joy of it.

 
Share Stokes' tasty secrets and introduce your friends.

I was talking to my cousin David the other evening. They have just started using Stokes Sauces after I handed over a Bloody Mary Ketchup and Red Onion Marmalade instead of a bottle of wine the last time I visited.

What a winner - they don't just like it - they LOVE IT.

You too could make a difference to your friends' lives by indroducing them to Stokes' passion for quality and taste - and just in time for them to stock up for Christmas.

Go on, share your tasty secret and make their festive feasting taste better too.


Christmas Gifts that taste soooo good.

This is something really special that we have just produced. It makes a great stocking filler or something different to take to parties over the coming festive season.

For cheese lovers who want their cheese board to taste better still, this stylish tube contains three of our favourite relishes, which turn even the humblest cheeses into a platter of pure yumminess. Click here.

It contains one of each of: 

Chilli Jam - deliciously sweet with a vibrant finish that adds passion to stronger goat and Stilton cheeses.  
Fig Relish - this abundance of deep, sweet juicy fig is perfect with smoky cheeses and tangy cheddars. 
Red Onion Marmalade - the star performer. It's thick and luscious, with strong tangy depth that you'll want with everything.

What a food packed month November is.

It started with National Sandwich Week, followed by the buzz of Bonfire Bangers and we've Thanksgiving Turkey to look forward to as well.

Autumn has been replaced with the distinct chill of winter and the warming fuel of winter food now moves to the top of the shopping lists and menu planning.

It's time for root veg, slow cooked stews and thick tasty gravies and creamy mashed potatoes (try two teaspoons of our Creamed Horseradish in your mash :).

 

This week we hope to share some tasty tips to help the flavours flow and the taste buds tingle.

Stews are anything but bland. Cold cuts are far from boring. And soups are specs-steamingly delicious - for example:

Souper Lasagne

This basically transforms a bolognese into a delicious winter soup. Dice a medium sized onion and soften in a large pan (I like unsalted butter - but you choose) with a teaspoon of of thyme leaves; chopped leeks (a stem will do); shredded carrot (one again); two stalks of celery (chopped, but not too finely).

Add half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (for heat and depth), two grated cloves of garlic and four good glugs of Stokes Award Winning Tomato Ketchup. When soft, add a 400g pack of lean ground beef, stir and brown with the veg. When the meat has browned, add a tin of chopped toms and the same empty tin of water and a beef stock cube or equivalent.

To a separate pan of boiling water add your favourite dry spaghetti, but first break it in half and half again - to shorter strings. Two minutes short of their cooking time, add sufficient pasta to the simmering sauce and as much of its cooking water necessary to take the combination to the consistency of a good thick soup.

Stir in two good spoonfuls of ricotta cheese and cook until the pasta has softened. To the side, grate some good, crumbly, vintage Cheddar cheese and mix with a  handful of Greek basil leaves. Season the soup (sometimes a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce help here). Serve with the cheese / basil mix and enjoy.

Let us know what you think.

Coronation Pumpkin Soup

I have just made a deliciously warming Pumpkin Soup - any squash will do. Peel it, scrape the pips out and cube it; then simmer in chicken of vegetable stock until soft. Blend with a hand blender adding butter, salt and pepper, two good spoons of Philadelphia cream cheese and a good spoon of Stokes Coronation Sauce.

The Coronation Sauce compliments the gentle taste, adding an umami to the overall taste where curry powder is often too powerful. To up the taste a little further, I whizzed some fresh mint leaves into the soup and the juice of half a lime - try it and let us know what you think.

Where did you see Stokes ?

Where did you last see a bottle or jar of Stokes Sauce - other than your larder. Of course, you will see it in Waitrose or on the shelves of a quality independent retailer, farm shop, butcher, delicatessen etc.

But, more and more pubs, wine bars and restaurants are improving the quality of their customer service (and taste!) by offering Stokes as the condiment of choice.

We want to see how far and wide Stokes Sauces travel and ask your help to visually track it. When you are out and about and see our distinctive jars or bottles - take a picture and share it on our Facebook ... use the picture here as the link to Stokes Facebook.


Adding Life to Cold Cuts

Whether it's leftover Thanksgiving Turkey or any cuts remaining from the Sunday Roast, here are a few ideas to tickle the taste buds this Autumn.

We all know how to spoon Stokes' joy onto the side of a plate of cold ham, pork, beef or turkey, so here are a couple of tasty tips you may not have discovered yet:

Create a tasty salsa with our Burger Relish. Just dice some tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, red pepper and anything else you fancy then, into the bowl, mix with a couple of spoonfuls of Burger Relish for a sweet juicy salsa. Or, use Stokes Chilli Jam for a more fiery version.

To the leftover spuds and greens, mash them into a bubble & squeak , add two good dollops of Stokes Brown Sauce. Divide into proper handfuls rolled into portion-sized balls then squashed to patties. Now fry on both side until each is golden brown - perfect with any cold cut.

Turn leftover pork into a stir fry - chop manges touts, sugersnap peas, baby corn spears, spring onions and stir fry in a light oil. Cube the pork and add it to the mix to warm right through.Then shake a few glugs (to taste) of Stokes Sweet Chilli Sauce and serve on a bed of noodles with a garnish of fresh coriander.



Winter Suppers

Hot dogs, burgers, bacon butties, jacket potatoes and heart warming soup - all favourite winter suppers.

And they are all made better with a Catherine Wheel of sparkling taste buds, courtesy of Stokes Award Winning Tomato Ketchup on your hot dogs; or Brown Sauce on your bacon butties; a big yes to Stokes new Burger Relish on the burgers; add a twist with Bloody Mary Ketchup or Curry Ketchup mixed with Stokes Real Mayonnaise.

 

Simple,  honest,  delicious

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

It's cool to love Stokes Sauces

 Mon Garde Manger

‘My larder’ in French is ‘mon garde manger’ and because quality food is so essential to the French way of life, they have a magazine called Mon Garde Manger. The editor recently asked Rick Sheepshanks (founder and MD of Stokes Sauces) for an interview in which he asked Rick what the larder meant to him.

Traditional larders – cool, bricked, aired, storage rooms – are sadly a thing of the past, which is why condiments and preserves rely too much on stabilisers, preservatives, colorants and taste modifiers to extend shelf life in the modern kitchen. 

“We sacrifice great traditional taste for shelf life” said Rick, “but we can have both if we are prepared to pay a little more for quality over pure convenience”.

We now think of the larder in broader terms. Suffolk is a wonderful, natural, largely organic larder itself, producing amazing foodstuffs, ingredients and ideas dedicated to great taste. Perigord in France is a larder for gamey meat, truffles and fine wines. The Rhone-Alpes region is the gastronomic larder for some of the world’s finest cuisine whose heart still beats in Lyons. 

And the sun-drenched hillsides of southern Italy represent one of our own larders, for the sweet, plump tomatoes we use in Stokes AwardWinning Tomato Ketchup.

Saucy Sausages

Your larder could become a veritable treasure chest of flavour with these saucy ketchup twists from Stokes - try something a little different by clicking on the image below:

 Beautiful Bangers

Inspired by mini Cumberland sausages as a starter for lunch on the first visit to my son at Sheffield University, I thought - what could make their honey and grain mustard dipping sauce better ... Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard of course.

I just had to try it when I got home. One part runny honey to one part Cider & Horseradish Mustard over a gentle heat to improve the mix - perfect. Give it a go and let us know what you think.

 CoolBrand status again

We are delighted to share the official announcement that Stokes has been awarded 'CoolBrand' status for the second year running - making Stokes Sauces a prestigious addition to the larder, as well as a delicious dollop, pour, spoonful of taste on  the side of your plate.

Stephen Cheliotis, Chairman of the CoolBrands Council, said: "CoolBrands status illustrates that Stokes is rated highly by both influencers and the British public, proof that the brand is considered highly original and innovative."

He went on to say: "Being recognised independently in this is naturally a wonderful affirmation that Stokes is recognised, valued and respected." 

Cool as a cucumber 

  

Cool as a cucumber - perhaps, but Stokes are now also: cool as Apple; cool as a pair of Ray-Ban; cool as Glastonbury; cool as an Aston Martin; cool as a Harley Davidson - just some of the other CoolBrands in this year's selection.


 Cool Relish

Innovation and passion are two of the reasons why Stokes has been declared 'cool'. Here's a trio that illustrate the fact. They will add pure joy to your cheese board this Autumn. 

Fig Relish - this abundance of deep, sweet juicy fig is perfect with smoky cheeses and tangy Cheddars. Chilli Jam - deliciously sweet with a vibrant finish that adds passion to stronger goat and Stilton cheeses. Red Onion Marmalade - the star performer. It’s thick and luscious, with a tangy depth that you’ll want with everything.

Gravy with a twist

Here's a tasty tip to add a delicious twist to your gravy. Whether you make your own from a stock, reduce it from a jus, or - hmmmmm shake it from a jar, try this.

For an earthy sharpness stir in a spoonful of Stokes Brown Sauce; for a sweeter depth of flavour add a spoonful of Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup; and for a richer hint of eastern spices add a good dollop of Stokes Curry Ketchup.

You'll know how much to add when it tastes ... yummy.


Leftover Chicken ? - give it a cool coronation

 

Before we get to the Coronation Chicken, to make your roast chicken taste better still, add a spoonful or two of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard to your gravy, stir it in to taste and enjoy the combination of sweet cider, hot horseradish and juicy pops of mustard grains running round the plate.

Coronation Chicken

For the perfect, speedy Coronation Chicken, mix two parts of Stokes Coronation Sauce with one part of Philadelphia cream cheese and fold to coat the shreds of cooked, cold chicken. Instant, smooth and oh so full of flavour.

It's great on a jacket potato, with a salad, or in a sandwich for supper.



Two fishy favourites

Whitebait makes a lovely supper starter or a crispy lunchtime snack. A bag in the freezer is essential in or house, just as a jar of Stokes Real Mayonnaise is essential for the larder. Less of an essential though more of a treat is a jar of our Mustard & Dill Sauce. It mixes the sweet dill with warming mustard in a smooth sauce just begging to be spooned beside a piece of baked cod loin.

Simple,  honest,  delicious

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

It's back to school. Time to stock the larder. And ketchups with a twist.

Well, what a busy summer that was. The weather made it particularly hectic, with sunny days out and about visiting parks, pageants and promenades. But it all comes crashing to a halt now it's September and normality fills the days, weeks and weekends ahead.


The Sunday Roast is back

You really can't beat it - but you can make it taste even better with a dollop of this and a spoonful of that. Our Classic English Mustard is full of taste yet without that vinegary edge you get from some. The Creamed Horseradish is just that, made with real horseradish root and cream for that full natural flavour. See the full range of flavoursome traditional condiments by clicking the roast below:

Beetroot Relish that tastes ... of beetroot, only better

The beautiful beetroot is a popular yet still understated vegetable. We have made every culinary effort to capture its rich earthy taste, crisp texture and vibrant colour in this relish.

Refreshing shards of beetroot are steeped in a syrupy red wine sauce to create this jar of true deliciousness. 

Instead of the vinegary tang you get with some relishes, this is just pure, delightful, beetroot. 

Click the image and try some this week.




It's back to school and time to stock the larder.

What do you reach for when you get back from work or the children get back from school? What are your favourite larder offerings to help stem the hometime hunger - here are a few ideas.


For some easy, fun alternatives to bread and standard sandwiches - pop it in a pitta. Warm the pitta in your toaster; put a couple of slices of tomato and a leaf of two of lettuce in the pouch; add a couple of cooked fish fingers with a little Stokes Tomato Ketchup at one end and Stokes Real Mayonnaise at the other and you have - Pitta Pocket Fingers with red & white sauce.

Easier still - tuck it in a taco !

Pitta Pizzas are great on a plate and yummy in the tummy too. Warm in the toaster again; slice it open into two flat ovals and load it. Start with a spread of Stokes Burger Relish (the rich red pepper, tomato and onion salsa makes a great base) and top with grated cheese, shreds of ham, slices of sweet cherry toms; and watch it under the grill until the cheese starts to bubble.

You can make them more grown up with salami, olives and anchovies, or go Hawaiian with pineapple - delicious.

For tasty tortillas, try Ham Tortilla Pinrolls. For the spread, mix some Philadelphia Cream Cheese with a little Stokes Real Mayonnaise and Stokes Beetroot Relish (its rich earthiness, vibrant natural colour and sweet beetroot shards look and taste great); spread the attractive bright mix onto the tortilla; add thinly sliced smoked ham and a leaf or two of lettuce; roll tightly as you might a roulade; then slice into inch wide pinwheels - it's a feast for the eyes and the tummy.

Have you any favourite after school ideas you would like to share, if so we'd love to hear them. Why not post them on Facebook, here.

Fruity Jams and Marmalade

Don't forget the jam. Whoever you are, grown ups or children (or somewhere in between), there's nothing better than a good thick spread of jam on your toast in the morning, or more comforting than a fruity jam sandwhich at night. Stokes have a range of delicious jams and marmalades all packed with extra fruit and natural flavour. I still can't decide which I prefer, the strawberry, blackcurrant or raspberry.

Click Paddington (below) for our answer to a bear's fruity sandwich prayers.
 

  

It's fish for supper

Did you know we have some sauces that add flourish to a flounder, thrill to a brill and scrumptious taste to a lovely plaice.

Stokes Mustard & Dill Sauce adds a classic Gravadlax flavour and texture to smoked salmon steaks. If you are having new potatoes with a lightly grilled fillet of plaice, here's a tasty tip - strain the spuds once cooked, put them in a bowl and add a couple of spoonfulls of Mustard & Dill Sauce. Mix well and serve with the fish. Or, with a baked cod loin, add the sauce to taste, into your buttery mashed potatoes. Fabulous.

If you like a bit of fire in a dish of shells on (or off) prawns, just add a glug or three of our Sweet Chilli Sauce. Add it to any stir fry too for an instant red chilli and red pepper taste of the orient - it's sweet and juicy but it does bite back. I love it.

This is a great idea from one of our members of staff - Jim Fox. It's a 'fancy starter' to add a pleasant surprise to a seafood cocktail. Float your cockail of prawns, crab meat and squid in a little gem lettuce boat on the plate.

Now, in true TV chef style, dot the plate with little teaspoon piles of lumpfish roe and this sercet weapon ... Bloody Mary Rose. To make the sauce, mix one part Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup to two parts Stokes Real Mayonnaise. Coated in that, it makes the average prawn think its a lobster.

Ketchup - with a twist

In Rick Sheepshank's (the founder of Stokes Sauces) quest to make the best tasting mayonnaise and the best tasting tomato ketchup, he wasn't happy until he and his team created this sustainably wonderful taste. 

Using only the plump, sweet tomatoes ripened in the sun on the slopes of southern Italy Stokes Tomato Ketchup really is different. Unlike most ketchups, the tomatoes are not milled, but gently simmered down to a smooth texture that keeps all of their rich natural Italian flavours.

To this base deliciousness (click the image below) the twists are added.

We've got: Tomato Ketchup, Chipotle Ketchup, Bloody Mary Ketchup, Curry Ketchup and Chilli Ketchup - now that's a lot of ketchup ... and that's a lot of taste - bring on the bangers !

Simple, honest, delicious

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

  

It's top of the mayonnaise pops for Stokes

It's top of the mayonnaise pops for Stokes

Stokes Real Mayonnaise came top in a professional blind tasting against nine other popular brands including Hellman's. The tasting was undertaken by the Swedish weekly consumer magazine - IcaKuriren, known for its 'Which' like comparative studies. 

Sweden is a country famous for its top brands and uncompromising consumer taste - second best just won't do. Famous brands include: AstraZeneca, Electrolux, Ericsson, H&M, IKEA, Skype, Solvatten, Spotify - and of course Abba.

IcaKuriren described Stokes winning mayonnaise as having a good fresh egg taste; light to eat but firm in character; being round and well-balanced with a nice hint of olive oil.

It's always satisfying when others rave about one of the products we put every effort into, to make it taste utterly delicious.

It's the British free range eggs that make our Real Mayonnaise 'real', as we use more fresh pasteurised whole egg in our recipe that anyone we know (12%). And, for that luxurious finish, the extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil, from Kalamata and Crete, creates the final yummy experience.

Our EVOO is great EVOO

EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We are very proud of the fact that we only use Extra Virgin Koroneiki Olive Oil, which are primarily grown in Kalamata and Crete. They are very small olives, but give an intense green oil, high in Polyphenols, natural health giving antioxidants. They are very high in HDL’s (so called 'good' cholesterol) and low in LDL’s ('bad' cholesterol) and rich in Monounsaturated Fatty Acids.

The olive oil we use has a unique flavour and, although we use just  5% EVOO in our Mayonnaise, it's that combination that makes the difference. We have experimented with other EVOOs including less expensive options in the development of our mayonnaise, but it completely changed the flavour – it's instantly recognisable. So, no compromise – only the best, which is another of the unique elements of StokesReal Mayonnaise.

Rick Sheepshanks, founder of Stokes Sauces, said in an interview recently: "I am proud to be part of a great team of food lovers whose passion for 'great taste' I wholeheartedly share. Quality without compromise - well, it's easy to say and an absolute pleasure to deliver."

 

Simple, honest, delicious

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

Holiday Picnics and the World's Biggest Coffee Morning

We think of picnics as a very British thing, with families and friends gathered around to share sandwiches, chicken drumsticks and sausage rolls. 

Though its origins go way back to the turn of 17th / 18th Century France, where 'pique' referred to everyone bringing a little something to contribute and 'nique' a thing of little or no importance - well, we gave them 'Le Weekend' so it's a fair swap.

 

But our picnics are primarily family fun where Mum provides all the 'little somethings', each of which being of 'great importance'.

Perfect picnics

So, what do you bring and how can Stokes Sauces help - here's a few ideas. Firstly - you don't have to trudge miles over meadows to some distant river bank ... a picnic in the garden can be just as much fun.

Stokes egg mayonnaise sandwiches. Forget brown and healthy, use nice thick slices of a fresh white batch loaf. Boil the eggs so the whites are firm but the yolks are still soft and yellow. Cool, shell and cut into nice thick chunks. Fold a couple of big spoonfuls of Stokes Real Mayonnaise and a dollop of Stokes Tomato Ketchup.

I like it just like that but you can cut some cress into the mix as well. It's just yummy.

Coronation chicken boats. Shred or cut two cooked / cooled chick breasts into a large mixing bowl. Add three desert spoons of Stokes Coronation Sauce and half a 180g tub of Philadelphia cream cheese and fold to coat the chicken. Instant, smooth and oh so full of flavour. Pull the leaves off a baby gem lettuce to make the boats and spoon a good helping of Coronation Chicken into each.

Individual salad jars. This is a great use for empty washed Stokes Sauces jars. Mix a nice salad in a bowl - watercress, baby spinach, diced cucumber, chopped peach or mango (or both), cooked cooled conchiglie pasta shells, some tinned drained corn kernels, sliced chopped red pepper - whatever you want. Now pour over some extra virgin olive oil (to stop the ingredients sticking) and flavour with a generous glug of Stokes Raspberry and Balsamic Dressing. Stir and spoon into your jars then screw on the lid.

Lemon Syllabub. Now for an instant burst of lemon desert. In equal quantities, stir a jar of Stokes Lemon Curd into the same amount of whipped cream (again this is great fun served in Stokes jars). Spoon into portions and serve with some oh so buttery shortbread biscuits.

Stokes Lemon Curd is made with British free range eggs and is deliciously thick and creamy. Just spread it in toast and put a smile on everyone's face.

You'll have lots of family favourites yourself - why not share some of your own ideas with other Stokes Sauces customers on the blog or via Facebook LINK.

It's the World's Biggest Coffee Morning for MacMillan Cancer Support 

on 30th September. 

Find out more here and join in - so let's get baking.

Click on the image above to follow a lovely Mary Berry Victoria Sponge Sandwich recipe - no soggy bottoms there.

Stokes Blackcurrant Jam Muffins.

...or, just spread lavishly on cream scones - delicious.

2 eggs, 125ml vegetable oil, 250ml semi-skimmed milk, 200g golden caster sugar, 400g self-raising flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and a jar of Stokes Blackcurrant Jam to hand.

Heat the oven to 200c / 180c fan or gas 6. Line 2 muffin trays with paper muffin cases. Beat the eggs than add the oil and milk. Add the sugar and continue beating to a smooth batter. Sift in the flour and mix to a batter - lumps are good, so not too smooth. 

Now add 2 or 3 dessert spoons of our Blackcurrant Jam to create a swirl through the mix. Fill the cases two thirds and bake for 20-25 minutes. When they have risen, are firm to the touch and a skewer comes cleanly our when tested, they are good to go. Cool and enjoy.

Take a look at our full range of 'extra' jams by clicking the image or here. 

They are packed with real fruit, lots of it, and each jar oozes with natural colour and flavour.

 

How are you getting on with decorating those jars  ?

Get creative. Get the children to paint your empty Stokes jars this summer, take a picture and e-mail them to me HERE , and we'll send a money box lid to the best five each week across the Summer until 5th September 2016.

Post your creations on Facebook LINK

Time for a simple treat

After all that baking, preparing, painting and fund raising - it's time to put your feet up and enjoy an award-winning treat - add a generous helping of British smoked bacon to your Stokes Tomato Ketchup - oh yes, that's wonderful.

Simple, honest, delicious

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk