Pleasures on your Plate

There are few subjects on which the British become genuinely passionate.The weather, perhaps. Queuing, we’re the only ones that do it! Whether the kettle has actually boiled yet – did I even switch it on?

But, mention the British sausage and suddenly the nation discovers an ancestral fire in its belly.

And quite right too.[Simply Sausage – simple boiled potatoes and tenderstem broccoli sit so well with the rich seasoning of the sausage meat. No fuss, no gravy, no need.

But, a dollop of something delicious on the side works wonders. Have you tried adding our Fig Relish – packed with figs steeped with cider vinegar and molasses – it really works.]

For the humble sausage is anything but humble. Behind that reassuringly plump coil of pork lies one of the great traditions of British food.[Like a little more fire in your hot dog? Make your ‘dog’ hotter still with ‘the HOT one’ our Habanero HOT Sauce. It’s made with fiery, fermented Habanero chillies, delivering a rich, intense depth with an ingenious yet subtle fruity finish.]

Fine native meat, generations of butchery know-how, recipes guarded with the sort of seriousness usually reserved for family silver, and an almost reckless willingness to put excellent things inside a length of intestine and call it lunch.

The great British butcher’s sausage is a thing of particular pride.It begins with British pork.

Porcine, raised to some of the highest standards of animal husbandry in the world, passed respectfully into the right hands. The meat matters. The seasoning matters. The texture matters. And the person entrusted to make it matters most of all.[Cheap & Cheerful Hearty Cassoulet

Chef’s wholesome recipe – HERE – is a healthy collection of leeks, carrots, onion and swede with haricot beans all celebrating the sausage meat balls in this one-pot wonder.]

Our revered British butchers are not merely grinding and stuffing. They are custodians of a delicious national inheritance, preserving old regional recipes while happily inspired to play beyond the basics.[Hearty Sausage Casserole (or is it a stew?!) This is such a simple dish, adding all the ingredients to the pot as directed. Sit around the table and eat it in a bowl with a thick slice of buttered bread. A beer would go down well with it too. See and enjoy the RECIPE – HERE.]

Sage and onion, Cumberland pepper, Lincolnshire herbs, apple, leek, mustard, black pudding, cider, cheese … the British butcher has never been particularly afraid of a good idea, provided it can be made to fit in a sausage.

This, then, is a passionate celebration of the British sausage. A celebration of its glorious variety; its proper ‘porkiness’; its regional eccentricities; and the craft that proudly lines row upon row on the counter.

If the sausage is Britain’s great meaty culinary joy, then mustard is the sparkle that makes it smile.

And, where better to follow the trail than through the rolling fields of Britain, where rows upon rows of yellow mustard brighten the countryside.Nowhere is the connection more deliciously rooted than in Norfolk, home to one of Britain’s most famous mustard names, Colman’s.

For generations, the company has been turning those modest yellow seeds into the powders and pastes that add punchy weight to the side of the plate.

Today, that relationship with the land remains very much alive.[1950s. Trevor Loveday on tractor, with various Markham children by the reaper. Thanks to Welney Website.]

Colman’s works with local farmers, helping bring the mustard crop from field to factory, where the seeds are transformed into the powders that form the backbone of many familiar mustard products.

Those mustardy roots reach into the wider British food scene too, with Stokes Sauces drawing on powders and seeds supplied locally for our fine trio of mustard varieties.

So, from golden Norfolk fields to a loving spoonful dolloped lavishly beside your sausage, mustard has a rather wonderful journey to get there.

Seed, soil, mill … transformed lovingly to flavour-packed varieties in the Saucery here in Rendlesham, sealed in jars, distributed – then finally from us to your plate.It may be derived from one tiny seed, but what grows is at the heart of great British food.

While your roast is resting, take some of the juices from the pan, stir in a good spoon of two of our wholegrain mustard, and drizzle over a selection of roots for roasting too.

The flavours from our Cider & Horseradish Mustard add deep layers to the roasting veg. As well as the tingling crunch of yellow and black mustard seeds, the crisp English cider and lingering notes of horseradish are very clever additions. Resident Chef, Andy uses the complexities of our wholegrain mustard in many ways – HERE in a recipe for Roast Chicken & French-Style Peas. The chicken is so moist and the peas absolutely delicious.Our Dijon Mustard has a deceptive strength – a gentle giant of flavour on your spoon. Try this White Bean, Mushroom & Pancetta Strudel. Another fabulous forkful from Andy.As for our Classic English Mustard, well ours is a twist on the classics you might know.

We have removed that steamy-hot kick that dominates an otherwise very fine cut of beef, and replaced it with a warming intensity of natural mustard combinations that complement the food on your fork.

It’s a tasty story from field to your fork.

Free spirits and free range … over easy, fried, poached or boiled.

Eggs – not just highly nutritious, packed with complete protein, heart-healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals … they taste darn good too.The simple egg, free-range from cared-for hens.

CRACK

…and the options are so many and varied…:Frittata: the Italian answer to “What am I going to do with all this?”

A frittata is essentially an omelette that decided to take life a little less seriously. It’s eggy, golden, gloriously adaptable, and perfectly happy to accommodate whatever is lurking in the fridge … vegetables, cheese, herbs, leftover potatoes, or that lonely spring onion you bought with entirely different ambitions.

Simply whisk together eggs with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then stir in your chosen fillings. Heat a little olive oil or butter in an ovenproof frying pan, pour in the mixture, and cook gently until the edges begin to set. Finish it under a hot grill (or in the oven) until the top is puffed, golden and just cooked through.Shakshuka

Shakshuka is an Arabic dish from North Africa, combining a base of softly cooked onions, tomatoes and red peppers, spicy with harissa paste (and we add our Real Tomato Ketchup to lift the true tomato flavours).

Using the back of a spoon, make three or four ‘wells’ into which you crack eggs to bake in the oven.

If you like it spicier still, add our Habanero HOT Sauce to the tomato mix.

Chef has his own take on the Shakshuka in his Baked Eggs recipe, using our Bloody Mary Ketchup.

RECIPE – HERE.Poached with Sauce Dijonnaise

On toast, sweet, soft tenderstem broccoli, flaked poached salmon, a poached egg and luscious Sauce Dijonnaise.

Chef, Andy, shares his simple recipe for this delicious sauce. Try it and just imagine what other dishes like this you can add it to.

RECIPE – HERE.