Sarah’s Relish Review
There must be hundreds of artisan chutney and relish producers across the UK, every county must have these great producers, who you will find come wind, rain and snow on farmers markets all over the country. If you have ever made a chutney or relish at home you will know how much hard work and time goes into making just a few jars, now imagine making them on a bigger scale, it is not easy. So I take my hat off and applaud every one of the artisan chutney, relish, jam etc. producers across the UK, keep up the great work.
One of these great producers is Sarah Stanton owner of Sarah’s Relish, who lovingly produces great relishes from her home in Sennen (near Lands End), with her kitchen looking out over the ocean, and with chillies and garlic grown by Sarah, and apples grown by Sarah’s partner in his ancient orchard in the Teign valley near Dart moor which has had no chemicals on it for the last 20 years. Other ingredients used are Fairtrade, and also locally sourced where possible. For me before I have even tasted these relishes, I know that they are going to taste great with such good ingredients.
I was sent the following relishes to try:
- Sarah’s Cider Apple Relish; this had a lovely texture, with lovely pieces of apple and plenty of sultanas. This worked well with a good slice of cheese and crackers, but my favourite way of eating this was with a lovely joint of pork and crackling…..delicious.
- Sarah’s Mild Chilli Relish; the very first thing that I tasted was ginger, which I am not a great lover of, and then there was a lovely mild chilli kick and then the sweetness of the raisins, and finally the great taste of vinegar, the flavours all worked very well. This relish was lovely at a recent winter bbq that we had, smothered on hot dogs and burgers, but also works well with a nice chunk of cheese.
- Sarah’s Hot Chilli Relish; now we are talking, as far as I am concerned the hotter the better suits me as long as I can still taste the other ingredients, which are the same as above but with an extra chilli kick, and boy do you notice it. There is not as much Ginger in this relish which works for me, just at the end of this the chilli kicks in and it is great. This I have been stirring into chilli con carne and lovely chicken madras I made last week. This also received Silver at the Taste of the West festival.
- Sarah’s Mumbai Banana Relish; I have saved the best till last…..I really did not know what to expect, and I will be honest I was not looking forward to this relish, surely banana would not work in a savoury relish, but boy was I wrong this tastes amazing. The first taste was the vinegar and then the sweet banana, with onions and peppers followed by a very mild curry spice, wow what a taste sensation. I just wanted to eat this with poppadum’s or cheese wafers, if there are any Indian restaurants that want to add something a little different to their chutney range then this would work very well.
Another great detail with these relishes is that each label is hand coloured with a pencil, what a great idea and it really works well.
You can purchase these great relishes online from www.cornishfoodmarket.co.uk or throughout the West Country from the tip of Lands End to the River Cottage Canteen in Axminster. So please go out and get some of these relishes and let us know what you think, and finally Sarah keep up the great work, and when we are next down in Cornwall I will pop in and say hello
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Baking Time 30 minutes
Portions 4
Ingredients
125 grams Chocolate, good quality dark
3 tbsp Milk Milk
150 grams Butter softened
150 grams Billington's Golden Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
200 grams Allinson Nature Friendly Plain White Flour
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
0.25 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
100 grams Silver Spoon Create White Chocolate Flavour Cake Covering
140 grams Butter
140 grams Billington’s Golden Icing Sugar
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, Fan oven 160°C /gas 4.
2. Butter and flour the sides of four 10 cm heart shaped tins and line the bases with
greaseproof paper.
3. For the cake: Snap the chocolate into chunks and place in a bowl. Add the milk and
sit the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water and heat until the chocolate
has melted. (Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the surface of the
water.) Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Beat the butter until very soft then add the caster sugar and continue to beat until the
mixture is pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then fold in the melted
chocolate.
5. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and the bicarbonate of soda, and fold
in gently to mix. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake in the oven for 25
minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean.
6. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to sit for five minutes before turning them
out of their tins and placing them on a wire rack to cool. When cool slice the cake in
half.
7. For the chocolate butter icing Melt the chocolate in the microwave on High for 1½
minute, stirring halfway. Leave to cool. Beat the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl
until creamy. Beat in the chocolate until smooth. Spread the butter icing on the
bottom half of the cake and sandwich with the other half.
Billington’s, the unrefined sugar specialists, is celebrating this Valentine’s Day with a selection of lovingly made desserts and biscuits guaranteed to impress the object of your affection.
Billington’s sugars are very simply produced with the aim of locking in, rather than refining out, the natural molasses of the sugar cane. It is this difference that gives unrefined sugar its superior flavour and natural colour.
To ensure perfect results use Billington’s unrefined sugar (and a sprinkling of love), to create these mini heart-shaped chocolate cakes, lavishly decorated with melted white chocolate, icing and sprinkles. For an extra indulgent edible gift, sandwich two cakes together with pink butter cream, recipe to be posted shortly.
Or sandwich raspberry shortcake hearts with fresh, whipped cream, topped with fresh berries and a dusting of icing sugar for a professional finish, recipe to be posted shortly.
Looking for something more straight-forward? Try making these tasty Almond heart-shaped cookies, recipe to be posted shortly.
For more inspiration and baking advice as well as top decorating tips, head to www.bakingmad.com, a free, mouth-wateringly helpful site that takes the stress out of baking with an array of recipes and step-by-step guides. Follow Baking Mad on Twitter (@bakingmaduk) and become a fan of BakingMadUK on Facebook.
Long has it been known that one of our nations favourite chefs, Heston Blumenthal uses and favours the Japanese knife brand called Tojiro. Tojiro are aimed at professional chefs and very keen home cooks. Heston loves the design, weight and blade edge of the Tojiro range each of which make the brand a premium choice.
Recently Heston has been reaching out to us all at home with his ‘how to cook like Heston’ TV show and new cookbook ‘Heston Blumenthal at home’. Alongside the TV show and cookbook we have been working closely with Heston to develop a range of knives which fit into a more achievable price point. So forget about how to cook like Heston you now CAN cook like Heston!
Using Hestons favoured design we have created a 3 layer blade from the finest steel, made with quality precision and craftsmanship to ensure the performance and accuracy expected from the Heston Blumenthal kitchen knives brand.
There are 8 knives in the range; 4’’ Paring Knife, 5’’ Utility Knife, 7’’ Flexible Boning Knife, 6’’ Cooks Knife, 7’’ Santoku Knife, 8’’ Chefs Knife, 8’’ Carving Knife and 8’’ Bread Knife.
Heston tells us, ‘For balance, technical precision and design, these are outstanding kitchen knives’
The new Heston Blumenthal Kitchen Knife range will be on show on our stand G04-F05 at the Spring Fair and also on our stand at the Ambiente show in Frankfurt hall 3.0 stand A60.
For more info please visit the Grunwerg Website HERE
Parma Ham and Caramelised Red Onion Valentines Tart
Ingredients, Recipes, Starters, Main Courses, Baking, Valentines Day Send feedback »
Parma Ham and Caramelised Red Onion Valentines Tart
Show your love with these heart-shaped pastry cases filled with Parma Ham and caramelised red onions, chunks of feta cheese and fresh rosemary, and served with balsamic figs and Parma Ham.
Serves 2
150g (8 oz) ready rolled puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
2 medium red onions
½ tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 slices Parma Ham
fresh rosemary
50g (2 oz) Feta cheese
1 fig
salt and pepper
* Start by making the puff-pastry cases. Unroll the puff pastry and cut out 2 x12cm squares. Using a sharp knife, cut heart shapes from the two pastry squares and score ½ cm from the edge of the hearts, around their perimeter. Prick the inner heart with a fork and brush the pastry with beaten egg, season with cracked black pepper. Place on a baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 for 10 minutes, until beginning to brown.
* Take the pastries out of the oven and use your knife to trace the line that was scored before cooking. Very carefully, peel off the top of the inner heart to leave a heart-shaped pastry case.
* To make the filling, finely slice the red onions and fry in olive oil until golden. Add 2 ½ tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, stirring until the onions have caramelised, and season to taste with salt and cracked black pepper.
* Tear up a slice of Parma Ham into the base of each tart. Share the caramelised onions between the tart cases, sprinkle with fresh rosemary and chunks of feta cheese and return to the oven to cook for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.
* Whilst the tarts are cooking, quarter the fig and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with the remaining balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and season with cracked black pepper. Place in the oven for 5-6 minutes until they are soft and caramelised.
* Serve the tarts fresh out of the oven with a slice of Parma Ham, roasted balsamic figs, and sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Cook’s tip: These little tarts are just perfect with a green leafy salad and balsamic vinaigrette.
Many thanks to Consorzio di Prosciutto di Parma
Photography and reportage: Steve Lee
Recipe: Jocelyn Barker
Food styling: Sue Ashworth
Prosciutto di Parma
Parma Ham is a completely natural food with nothing added except salt. Making a Parma Ham is a long and painstaking process. The curing is controlled carefully so that the ham absorbs only enough salt to preserve it to retain its distinctive sweet flavour.
Prosciutto di Parma is produced in the hills surrounding the Italian town of Parma. The air in the Parmesan hills is unique, dry and sweet-smelling with breezes from the Apennine mountains, creating perfect environmental conditions for a natural “drying” of the hams.
The unique taste of Parma Ham is dependent on the traditional production process passed down from Roman times, carefully controlled by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma. Only hams that have passed stringent curing regulations approved by the EU can be awarded the stamp of the Ducal crown – a five pointed coronet logo with PARMA in the centre which is branded onto the ham’s skin. The Ducal Crown is now a certification trademark.
SAY I LOVE YOU WITH GODMINSTER THIS VALENTINE’S
How do I love thee, let me count the ways…How about with a heart-shaped Godminster organic Cheddar for your foodie-loving Valentine? It’s a delicious savoury alternative to the usual flowers and chocolates – and all the more special for being unique.
Godminster’s Cheddar is made to a unique 70-year-old recipe and is instantly recognisable by its deep red, jewel-like colour. Finished beautifully in a heart-shaped wax coating, the cheese is a great food lovers’ take on a Valentine’s gift.
Godminster’s owner Richard Hollingbery said; “We wanted to offer our customers something a little different, a twist on the conventional Valentine’s present. Godminster also produce a round equivalent, but this quirky heart is perfect for this time of year. Instead of a box of chocolates, why not say ‘I love you’ with Cheddar?”
Godminster’s 400g Organic Heart Cheddar is available from www.godminster.com, priced at £14.95 inc postage and packing and the 200g Organic Heart Cheddar is available from most delis and farmshops..
Valentines Cupcakes decorated with Jelly Belly
This beautiful decoration was developed especially for Jelly Belly by our friends Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, authors of the best selling book Hello Cupcake! Unfortunately it's only available in the USA at the moment so you're getting a special preview.
Ingredients:
• 4 standard vanilla cupcakes, without icing
• 8 mini vanilla cupcakes, without icing
• 1 1/4 cups vanilla icing
• 1 cup Very Cherry Jelly Belly beans
• 1/4 cup Raspberry Jelly Belly beans
• 1/2 cup Kiwi Jelly Belly beans
Instructions:
1. Working on 1 cupcake at a time. Spread vanilla icing on top of a standard cupcake. Starting in the middle of the cupcake place a Raspberry Jelly Belly jelly bean, short end in, on top of the cupcake. Place 2 Raspberry beans above and 2 Very Cherry beans below around the center bean.
2. Continue with another circle of beans, this time Very Cherry above and Raspberry below. Arrange a row of Very Cherry beans, side by side, below the circle. Continue with another partial circle of beans, varying Very Cherry and Raspberry. Add Kiwi Jelly Belly beans as the base of the rose.
3. Repeat with the other standard cupcakes and beans.
4. Spread vanilla frosting on top of the mini cupcakes. Arrange the rose cupcakes on a serving platter with the mini cupcakes as the stem. Place the Kiwi jelly beans in rows as the rose stems and leaves.
5. Add love note, blow a kiss and serve.
Makes 4 standard and 8 mini cupcakes
Please visit the Jelly Belly Website and Facebook page.
Aphrodisiac Menu at The Ambrette
Margate’s Michelin-listed Indian fine dining venue, The Ambrette, serves a special sampler menu using ingredients reputed to have strong aphrodisiac qualities, by prior arrangement with 24-hours notice The lightly spiced dishes at The Ambrette promises a very different dining experience where guests taste the real herbs, rather than have their flavours overwhelmed by strong spices.
A keen student of Indian cookery, Biswal has learned how aphrodisiacs are intrinsic in the social fabric of a country that portrays itself to be highly conservative. The tradition of chewing a betel leaf before bed time or serving a glass of milk laced with saffron before the wedding night, are typical examples of how Indians harness the properties of “love potions”.
Dev believes that along with many other things in Indian culture, aphrodisiac ingredients enjoy a sort of immortality in time.
“The skills and knowledge are never lost, they flow incessantly from generation to generations, said Dev, adding, “Traditional chefs are these strange groups of mystic men who secretly guard their knowledge.”
The night’s menu has been created to maximise use of ingredients known for their romance-inducing properties. Celery contains the male hormone testosterone, which also has a powerful effect on women’s libido. Carrots, fennel and onions also affect sex drive. Aswagandha, “The King” of India spices is a “ herbal miracle” that works on reproductive and nervous systems as a sexual and energy tonic with a rejuvenating effect. Basil stimulates the sex drive, boosts fertility and produces a general sense of well-being.
The south Indian seafood extract “Rasam” is made with fresh local scallops, tiger prawns and mussels flavoured with asafoetida. Shellfish have traces of zinc, which stimulates sex drive.
In laboratory studies Asafoetida, has been compared favourably to sildenafil, known by the brand name Viagra.
Ginger is mentioned in part seven (under occult practices) of the Kama Sutra. History attests to coriander’s mystical aphrodisiac potency. The Chinese used the herb in love potions.
The erotic, fleshy fruit of the fig is said to act as a powerful sexual stimulant. For the ancient Greeks the fig was one of the sacred foods associated with fertility and love. In some Southern European countries wedding guests throw figs (instead of rice) at the newly weds, as a sign of fertility.
Among the Arabs nutmeg has been used to treat digestive problems and also been valued as an aphrodisiac; The Hindus embraced the spice for its sensual properties as a stimulant in raising body heat and sweetening breath.
Coconut and tamarind seeds used are said to Improves sexual potency and fertility.
Betel is prescribed by ancient Ayurvedic physicians because of its deodorant, aphrodisiac and invigorating properties. Betel leaf came to form a part of the ritual with which a wife welcomed her husband.
Cardamom contains at least two androgenic compounds. It shows up as the best source of the compound cineole – a stimulant on the central nervous system stimulant.
Part of saffron’s magical property is the enhancement of “lust”. Saffron is capable of affecting the neurotransmitters. Its ingestion is found to be a soothing relaxant capable of lowering blood pressure and stimulating the respiration. Its properties also appear to stimulate the libido and the erogenous zones.
As a child Dev spent a lot of time in Orissa, a magical land with parts lost in time. The temples are covered in highly erotic and beautiful carvings of men and women – sometimes in groups – from the Kama Sutra, the ancient Indian text on human sexual behaviour. He had never seen such an energetic celebration of the sexual energy. These temples were built in the pre Islamic periods when people enjoyed sexual freedom in society. These stone sculptures used to baffle Dev’s adolescent mind, asking, “If sex is sinful, then how come the abode of the Gods are covered with sexual impressions”
The Ambrette Restaurant, 44 King Street, Margate, Kent CT9 1QE
E: info@theambrette.co.uk T: 01843 231504 W: www.theambrette.co.uk
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