My Family & Other Animals

Meet Rick, Stokes Founder, MD and Suffolk’s very own virtual Gerald Durrell.

Seen here with orphaned Roe Deer, Fleur and above with just some of the ever-growing menagerie of rescued animals.

Thanks to Rick’s passion, they now live the good life in the walled gardens behing The Old Stables – the home of great sauce.

Pigs, sheep, peacocks, hens, geese; rheas & emus, cats & dogs; Bennetts wallabies, cattle & goats – all happily sharing their peaceful new lives.

Rick has three families: his own much loved wife and children; the animals; and the team responsible for creating, making and shipping all these tasty sauces.

Happy Father’s Day to you all.

If you’ve a busy weekend of family activities ahead, who wouldn’t want to start like this.

Andy & Ben actually rustled up this morning feast, sadly not for Rick, but for an article on Father’s Day in the Suffolk press.

They used Suffolk Lane Farm Bacon, Musks Sausages, Havensfield Happy Hens Free Range Eggs, Fruit Pig Black Pud (they had to pop across the border to Norfolk!), Magpies Bakery Bread, and locally grown tomatoes & potatoes.

I see our truly grownup Brown Sauce there. Sweet with date purée and rich with a heady mix of Persian spices. Just smell it and you’ll know it’s different.

Tomato Ketchup, but like no other. This is full of flavour and thick, with 212g of beautiful Mediterranean tomatoes crammed into every 100g of ketchup.

And one of our delicious Ketchup Twists.

Bloody Mary Ketchup is ketchup made with a dash of real vodka, a splash of Worcestershire sauce and a touch of Bloody Mary spice. Rich, colourful and full of body.

If you are planning a day ‘out & about’ with a picnic basket, cooler and blanket, we have some lovely ideas including this…

… a recent favourite created by Resident Chef, Andy and photographed by our own Ben.

You’ll will find the recipe for these Brie, Bacon & Chilli Jam Pasties – HERE. Absolutely delicious hot or cold, they are perfect to pop in the picnic pack.

These Sausage & Sage Pies are home grown and the details written HERE for you. I have tried them with our Chilli Jam for a sweet chilli lift, or you could use Red Onion Marmalade for a sophisticated caramelisation of sweet onion and gentle kick of Balsamic vinegar to finish.

Make up these Lemon Eton Mess – recipe HERE – into empty Stokes jars, chill and keep them in the cooler for a very smart picnic pud.

Take a look through our Recipes Pages – HERE and you are bound to find something quick and tasty to take with you. Sausage Rolls, Scotch Eggs, Hoisin Chicken Puffs, Chocolate Brownies – they’re all HERE, and more.

Even if you picnic with friends in the garden – enjoy !

… ask first if they serve Stokes Sauces.

Many restaurants, pubs and cafes now agree that if they are going to put heart & soul into creating a meal to savour – crisp golden batter on juicy white fish – it should be served with sauces to make people smile.

Happy diners are regular diners, discerning folk who like good food and value for money.

There are now lots of kitchens that use Stokes Sauces as ingredients in their own precious recipes, adding that secret twist of ‘wow’ to every dish.

Others fly the flag of quality. Sensible regulations mean they can’t set out our distinctive bottles & jars at the moment, but many have switched to our Generous Portion, Easy-to-open Sachets instead.

Same great taste, same ‘logo of lovable’, just a safe dispenser – and one for the picnics too.

At the end of the day when all’s said and done, you can sit and relax with a satisfied tum.

But, just in case there is more on your mind, take a look in the fridge and enjoy what you find.

With fine cheeses & hams, toms and pickles galore, Stokes’ great range of chutneys will applaud you with more.

The Beer Chutney with this glorious looking platter is one of two delicious jars of joy recently added to our Chutneys & Relishes.

Beer Chutney is a uniquely rich chutney made with locally sourced beer, crunchy root vegetables, apples, and a selection of warming spices.

Add to homemade sausage rolls for an extra special twist or for cheese lovers, add a dollop to camembert.

Our Spiced Green Tomato Chutney is a chunky spiced tomato & Bramley apple chutney that’s seriously dark and rich with a special blend of spices.

Stir a dollop into cream cheese for a tasty sandwich filling or add a spoonful to homemade curries for an aromatic twist.

See TASTING NOTES all of our Relishes & Chutneys – HERE.