Summer Sizzlers - chilli, chilli, chilli

Some Like it Hot

I know we haven't got to Summer just yet but it's always nice to have something to look forward to.

In this case, our heatwave has been bottled and grouped into a special sizzling collection of chilli sauces.

Stokes Chilli Jam

Meet one of the stars of the Stokes portfolio and an absolute 'must have' in the store cupboard.

It's a deliciously sticky jam, bursting with sweet chilli peppers, red peppers and red chilli heat.

We literally spoon it onto and into anything that deserves a bit of chilli enlightenment.

These cheese scones have been given the chilli treatment with Chilli Jam in each. Spoon it into your chilli con carne or add a little power to a sheepish Shepherds Pie.

 Summer Sizzlers from Stokes

Hot & Spicy BBQ Sauce

This is a wonderfully sweet, smoke flavoured chilli sauce. Rich with spicy tomato, sweetened with cane molasses and black treacle.

The chilli seeds release their punchy heat through the smoky finish.

Don't wait until the summer to enjoy it pasted onto a hot, spicy souvlaki.

Stir a couple of spoonfuls into a pan of baked beans for sweet and intense smokiness with a hot spicy kick.

Chipotle Ketchup 

It brims full of real Italian tomatoes with a smoky, spicy kick!

Chipotle Chillies are Jalapenos left to ripen on the plant to a deep red, before being smoked dry, giving them their distinctive flavour.

Add it to chicken stock, ginger, a little Chinese 5 spice, Ramen Noodles and cooked chicken or pork meat for a delicious soup.

Stir it into a chilli con carne for a smoky difference, or add smokey heat to an onion gravy.

Chilli Ketchup

This does what it says on the proverbial tin.

It differs from those above by removing the smokiness, intensifying the tomatoes and adding red chillis and cayenne pepper for a mouth-tingling finish.

Use it to spice up Tasty Tacos by adding it to the onion, minced beef, garlic, tin of tomatoes and a little paprika.

Brush it onto sausages before grilling them or simply fire up a grilled halloumi and avocado burger.

Chilli Mayonnaise 

This is a beautiful mayonnaise made with British rapeseed oil and British free range eggs to which we add jalapeno chillies, giving a subtle warmth through a rich and velvety mayonnaise.

These prawns just love the chilli dip - it makes a tasty change, even from our Bloody Mary Rose Sauce.

Make a potato salad sing with your supper.

Paste it onto the skin of chicken breasts before roasting them for a shiny crisp skin and subtle chilli finish.

Summer Sizzlers from Stokes...

Just £15: order your own little heatwave - here

More foodie thoughts for the week:



St George's Day - 
celebrate The Feast of St George with some great English 'grub' - here.











'Ping Suppers' made better - 
turn supper from ping to perfect with these tasty ideas - here.

 





National Pet Day - 
meet the menagerie and share the fun - here.

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

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

From Wallabies to Emus - sharing National Pet Day and lots more

Don't miss the fun
on Facebook & Twitter

National Pet Week

It was National Pet Week last week (11 April) and we shared the day with Mr @StokesSauces personal (and family) love - the ever-growing menagerie of rescued cats, dogs, wallabies, emus, rheas, sheep, hens, goats, pigs, peacocks, ducks etc etc that now live happily in the grounds behind The Old Stables where Stokes sauces are so lovingly  made.

This amazing sighting was spotted and shared by Zoe - Stokes fan and Forensic Specialist. Stokes Tomato Ketchup gets a mention in bestselling author Lars Kepler's novel Hunter ...

...A masked stranger stands in the shadow of a garden, watching his first victim through the window. He will kill him slowly - play him a nursery rhyme - make him pay. A killer in your house.

The phone rings in ex-Detective Joona Linna's jacket pocket. "Linna here" he barks, shaking Stokes ketchup onto his open sandwich of sausages, onion and gherkins...

Well Dan, that is a big, life-changing moment. But you're not alone. It's a right of passage that, sadly, only the discerning few are able to manage.

Discovering the fact is the first stage only. Having the faith in your conviction to stand up and be counted is the second. Now, sharing as you have here makes you that man, Dan. Stokes Real Mayonnaise really is the best !

mmm ... Newcastle is just one of the many specialist independent retailers of fabulous foodstuffs whose shelves are now heaving with Stokes products ready for Easter, Spring and the Summer of great eating ahead.  It's a great store with amazing produce ... where do you buy your Stokes ?

More foodie thoughts for the week:



St George's Day - 
celebrate The Feast of St George with some great English 'grub' - here.











'Ping Suppers' made better - 
turn supper from ping to perfect with these tasty ideas - here.

 



   



Summer Sizzlers - 
if you like it hotter, from chilli mayo to chilli jam - here.

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

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Simple Starters

Simple & Delicious

You don't have to do too much to create a simple plate of food to excite the taste buds before a main course is served - exciting for the taste buds and dazzlingly pleasing to the eye.

Prawn Salad

Tinned segments of grapefruit and orange makes this even easier to prepare. Drain the fruit and sit them in a marinade of Stokes Mango & Orange Dressing. This accentuates the sweet fruits whilst adding slightly sharper tones of vinegar and pepper.

Form the salad with juicy prawns and dainty greens and serve it with a Bloody Mary Rose Sauce. The BM Sauce is simply 3 parts Stokes Real Mayonnaise to 1 part Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup.

Simple, pretty, delicious.

Smoked Trout & Beetroot

Sliced red chicory and apple colourfully balances bitter and sweet. Sliced cooked beetroot is as attractive as it is succulent.

These with a trimmed fillet of smoked trout make a wonderful combination.

BUT, more wonderful still is the perfect pairing of smoked trout and Stokes Creamed Horseradish which works so well with the smoky fish.

Then finish the dish with a dressing of rapeseed oil, a hint of cider vinegar, splash of orange juice and a teaspoon of our horseradish, whisked and drizzled over the salad.

Scallops & Chorizo Salad

Naturally sweet with their own unique flavour, scallops are quick to caramelise outside, leaving them soft in the middle. Cook them last.

First, prepare your salad and segment oranges to bring out the scallops' sweetness and contrast the spicy chorizo. Thinly slice your chorizo and fry it in oil until it crisps up. Remove it from the pan, setting it aside.

Add 3 or 4 tbsp of Stokes Olive & Balsamic Dressing, a squeeze of lemon and half a glass of red wine to the pan to deglaze the juices and set this aside to dress the salad.

In a clean pan of foaming butter, cook the scallops on one side for 2 minutes. Flip them over and give them 2 or 3 minutes more until they gently caramelise. Pop the scallops and crispy chorizo into the salad and drizzle with the juices from the deglazed chorizo pan.

Asparagus Frittata

British Asparagus is just coming into season so this is a perfect Spring starter. Because we are making this as a first course, it looks better served in squares rather than sliced wedges from frying pan.

Here's how:

Slice 2 or 3 spring onions and a dozen asparagus spears and fry them in butter for 5 or so minutes until the spears soften slightly. Beat 6 eggs together with 2 tsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard.

Butter a baking tray then add the beaten eggs, season and layer the asparagus, onions and slices of tomato. Pop this into a medium high oven for about 20 minutes (until the egg firms up). Grate mature Cheddar cheese over the top and grill the dish until the cheese bubbles and browns. Rest, slice and serve.

Dressing Smarter with Stokes

Order your Smarter Dressings for Easter - here

More foodie thoughts for the week:





BBQ Sides & Salads - 
turn your barbecue into a family feast with these stunning sides - here.









Marinade, Marinade, Marinade - 
tenderise and 'flavourise' with our delicious marinades - here.








Caught on Camera - 
this has to be the greatest 'brunch in a bun'. Watch and share - here.

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

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Barbecue Side Dishes

Sides & Salads

It's the tasty array of salads and side dishes that turn a BBQ into a feast for your family and friends.

As we enter the BBQ season, we will visit, interpret and share a number of tasty, colourful and simple dishes to dress your dining tables - indoors and out.

Simple can be tasty too, like this tomato, rocket and mozzarella salad.

To really get the best from the tomatoes, slice then soak them for an hour in olive oil and Stokes Olive & Balsamic Dressing (4 tbsp of each) with torn basil leaves and a sprinkling of good sea salt flakes.

The tomatoes absorb the flavours and the salt releases the tomato juices. Use a slotted spoon to lift the tomatoes onto the salad and the remaining juices to dress it.

Grilled Halloumi & Asparagus

Here's how:

As with so many BBQ recipes, it's the marinade that adds so much to this flavoursome side.

Mix 4 tbsp of olive oil, 4 tbsp of Stokes Mango & Orange Dressing, lemon juice and a good shake of Stokes Sweet Chilli Sauce in a bowl.

Add the halloumi strips, covering them well in the fruity, peppery marinade, with its chilli zing, and let it rest for an hour or so.

Carefully skewer the squeaky cheese and verdant green asparagus, brush with a little marinade and grill them for 5 or 6  minutes on each side, brushing again on the turn.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon and enjoy it with a burger, chop or spare rib.

Balsamic Asparagus

As the all-too-short British Asparagus season has just begun, it's a shame not to eat lots of it while we can.

Here's how:

First, steam or poach your asparagus.

[TIP: Stand the asparagus upright, stem down in a couple of inches of boiling water, tips up. This way, with the lid on, the tougher stems gets the harsher poaching whilst the more fragile tips gently steam.]

Time it so the tips are still nicely crisp and the stems tender, then stop them cooking by running them in cold water or plunging them into a bowl of iced water.

Now, dress them with olives, Parmesan shavings and a drizzle of Stokes Olive & Balsamic Dressing.

American Mac 'n' Cheese

No self-respecting BBQ in the States will be served without Mac 'n' Cheese. It's fun and catching on on this side of the pond too.

Here's how:

Cook 350 g of macaroni in boiling water to the pack's instructions. Melt 25 g of butter, adding 1 tbsp of Stokes Classic English Mustard, 1 tbsp of Stokes Original BBQ Sauce and 3 tbsp of flour to make a roux.

Gradually add 500 ml of milk, whisking until it thickens. Grate 250 g of Cheddar and 25 g of Parmesan cheese to the sauce. When the cheese has melted into the milk, combine the sauce and cooked macaroni in an oven dish.

Grate more cheese onto the top and bake in a medium high oven for 20 minutes. The cheesy macaroni, with gentle heat from the mustard and sweet smokiness from the BBQ sauce, is wonderful with a couple of barbecued sausages.

With dressings like this...

...and BBQ Sauces like this...

...your BBQ season is sorted.  
You can stock up now - here

More foodie thoughts for the week:





Simple Starters - 
enjoy some of our simple, tasty first course favourites - here.









Marinade, Marinade, Marinade - 
tenderise and 'flavourise' with our delicious marinades - here.








Caught on Camera - 
this has to be the greatest 'brunch in a bun'. Watch and share - here.

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

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

BBQ Grilling - outdoors & in

Marinade, Marinade, Marinade

It is particularly important to marinate your meat for a barbecue:

Acids in a marinade help to tenderise meat, breaking down the sinews as they soak in, which is why we often add citrus fruit juices to the ingredients.

Oil protects the flesh from what's often a harsh direct heat, delivered with limited controls.

Herbs, spices, chilli, honey, ginger and other such powerful natural flavours impart their aromatics and tasty variations to the marinated meat.

[TIP: Dicing and skewering meat, particularly lamb and pork, helps it cook more quickly and evenly, leaving it less charred on the outside and juicy in the middle.]

The Stokes BBQ Collection

...the perfect combination for marinades, toppings and sides.

Just £25, saving 10% off individual product prices,

PLUS FREE delivery

Order your exclusive collection - here

Now - 
use the collection in these BBQ recipes...


BBQ Ribs

To get the best from your spare ribs, it is strongly recommended to prepare and pre-cook them in the oven, finishing them on the BBQ.

Here's how:

Put the ribs in a roasting tin, cover them (just) with water and put them in the oven at 190°C/gas mark 5 for an hour.

Meanwhile mix 200 ml of orange juice, 3 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup, 3 tbsp of Stokes Original BBQ Sauce and 1 tbsp of Stokes Classic Mustard.

Drain and dry the ribs then put them back in the roasting tray where you cover them well in the marinade. Cover the tray with foil and put it back in the oven for another hour.

Let them cool and keep any reserve juices and marinade. Your ribs are ready to finish on the BBQ, brushed with the reserved marinade which will char and caramelise deliciously in a few short minutes.

Balsamic Chicken Kebabs

Using cubes of chicken breast meat on skewers ensures they
are evenly cooked and cooked right through.

Here's how:

Firstly make the marinade by mixing 4 tbsp of Stokes Olive & Balsamic Dressing with 4 tbsp of olive oil and 100 ml of orange juice. Add grated ginger and season.

Immerse the chicken cubes and let them soak up the flavour - the longer the better and preferably overnight. Load your skewers, including sweet cherry tomatoes and feathers of onion with the chicken pieces.

To counter the slightly sharper marinade, brush alternate pieces of chicken with a little of our Sweet & Sticky BBQ Sauce.

The combined flavours are wonderful.

Mayo Marinated Wings

There's a growing school of thought suggesting we use mayonnaise as part of a marinade. The emulsion allows the oils in the mayonnaise, and any aromatics we add to it, to stick to the food. Try it with these chicken wings.

Here's how:

Mix equal quantities of Stokes Real Mayonnaise with our Original BBQ Sauce (4 tbsp of each). Add 1 or 2 tbsp of Stokes Red Onion Marmalade and the juice of half a lemon.

Coat the chicken wings thoroughly in the marinade and leave, covered, as long as you can.

Remove the wings from the bowl and pop them on the BBQ or under the grill.

Turn them over frequently whilst cooking for 20 to 25 minutes until the juices run clear.

Your Stokes BBQ Collection

...the perfect combination for marinades, toppings and sides.

Just £25, saving 10% off individual product prices,

PLUS FREE delivery

Order your exclusive collection - here

More foodie thoughts for the week:





Simple Starters - 
enjoy some of our simple, tasty first course favourites - here.









BBQ Sides & Salads - 
turn your barbecue into a family feast with these stunning sides - here.









Caught on Camera - 
this has to be the greatest 'brunch in a bun'. Watch and share - here.

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

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Brunch caught on camera and other tasty sharing

Don't miss the fun
on Facebook & Twitter

Magical midweek meals. Family favourites. Kitchen gems across the generations - just like granny used to make. Please share them all on Facebook and Twitter.

This has to be the ultimate 'brunch in a bun', caught on camera as it evolves in the kitchen. Smashed avocado, fried halloumi and an oozingly brilliant fried egg with Stokes Chilli Jam to fortify the flavours - lush.

Watch the video here:

Tweeting of breakfasts, this looks like the perfect start to Pete's weekend as captured on camera and tweeted to @StokesSauces. Yes, it's all there including the perfect breakfast combo - Stokes Tomato Ketchup and Stokes Brown Sauce. Same again this weekend Pete?

After a Stokes breakfast? Well, a Stokes-flavoured lunch of course, as enjoyed by Phillip and his team at PD Foodservice one of the large team of flavour fans responsible for encouraging independent pubs and restaurants to grace their good food with great sauce.

And for supper? How about choosing something from our recent newsletter article on spaghetti, which we linked to the great BBC Panorama April Fool's Day broadcast about the bumper spaghetti harvest in Switzerland. Read more and enjoy - here.

More foodie thoughts for the week:




Simple Starters - 
enjoy some of our simple, tasty first course favourites - here.











BBQ Sides & Salads - 
turn your barbecue into a family feast with these stunning sides - here.



 





Marinade, Marinade, Marinade - 
tenderise and 'flavourise' with our delicious marinades - here.

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

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150