Enjoy A Summer of BBQ's With Stokes Sauces + Win a Grillstream BBQ

We love Stokes Sauces in this house. Like us, Stokes like their food simple, good and delicious and they make their sauces that way too. Unique recipes prepared in small batches with top quality ingredients. Like Tomato Ketchup made with juicy Italian tomatoes, creamy Real Mayonnaise made with extra virgin olive oil and free range eggs, and a traditional British Brown Sauce built on a healthy splash of real date puree.

Founded in 2004 by Rick Sheepshanks, today Stokes Sauces employs over 40 people producing over 75 different lines, all hand produced to carefully created and closely guarded recipes in their Suffolk "Saucery".

This year Stokes have added some yummy summery sauces and condiments to their extensive range, and they make the perfect accompaniment to the upcoming BBQ season.

Just about all Stokes sauces, ketchups, mayonnaise, preserves, dressings and chutneys have a place in, on or alongside a BBQ or al fresco feast, but these are our favourites:

Stokes Award-Winning Tomato Ketchup and its family: Chipotle Ketchup, Chilli Ketchup, Curry Ketchup and Bloody Mary Ketchup each have a place in a marvellous marinade.

Stokes Real Mayonnaise or any of their delicious Mayonnaises, sit well with any salad Or try the creamy aioli of Stokes Garlic Mayonnaise; the jalapeno hit of our Chilli Mayonnaise; the vibrant zing of the Lemon Mayonnaise; or the ‘must-have-more’ magic of Stokes Mustard & Honey Mayonnaise.

Stokes Original BBQ Sauce is thick and smoky with natural blossom honey and a molasses-style sweetness that can be used as an accompaniment, a marinade or a dipping sauce.

Stokes Hot & Spicy BBQ Sauce is just that. To balance the heat of the chillis, it has even more molasses and honey to sweeten the initial smoky BBQ flavours, letting the spicy heat develop as an after flavour.

Stokes Sweet & Sticky BBQ Sauce is another flavoursome variation, deeply sweet with a sensational kick of British horseradish and Worcestershire sauce to balance the sticky maple syrup.

Stokes Burger Relish is a sweet red pepper, onion and tomato relish with subtle notes of chilli, made up in the style of a salsa. It promises to transform burgers into something re

Stokes Sticky Pickle is scrumptiously sticky with our own unique blend of vegetables in a sweet and spicy sauce made with molasses and black treacle.

Stokes English Mustard is perfect with a beef burger, a strong yet smooth take on the classic mustard without the "burn". If you like mustard you'll love this!

BARBECUED NEW POTATOES WITH A CREAMY TOMATO DIPPING SAUCE

I'm always on the lookout for new BBQ recipes to try and these Barbecued New Potatoes are super easy to make and taste great dipped into a homemade creamy tomato sauce made with Stokes Real Mayonnaise and their Tomato Ketchup.

Simply par boil skin on baby new potatoes in a pan of salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, then drizzle with olive oil and salt and wrap tightly in foil. Place on the BBQ for 30-40 minutes until they are cooked through. Make the creamy tomato dipping sauce by mixing 2 tablespoons of Stokes tomato ketchup with 1 tablespoon of Stokes real mayo....and if you like it hot add a chopped red chilli!

WIN A GRILLSTREAM BBQ WITH STOKES SUMMER SAUCES

Stokes have recently launched a Summer Sauces Competition on their website which is your chance to WIN The Ultimate BBQ, simply by telling Stokes: ‘Why you love barbecues’?

The First Prize is an amazing Grillstream BBQ whose unique double grill means no flare-up, burn-free cooking and easier cleaning. The large cooking area, back-lit LED control knobs, ergonomic design and stylish finish will sensationalise your garden cooking. The lucky winner also gets a full dinner set from Cornishware - a splendid collection of plates, bowls, cups & saucers to grace an elegant evening outdoors.

There will also be 10 Runners Up Prizes of British-grown, fast-lighting, gourmet BBQ charcoal from The Oxford Charcoal Company. As well as a personalised mug from Cornishware. ALL winners will also receive a selection of delicious Stokes BBQ sauces as well as a prestigious Stokes apron.

The Stokes Summer Sauces Competition is open from 28th May and closes on 15th July.

So, get thinking – why do you love barbecues? Tell Stokes and perhaps you could be a winner!

Disclosure: I received a selection of Stokes Sauces and was compensated for writing this post. All thoughts are my own.

Beth Sachs

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Baking clotted cream Cornwall jam scones

Proper Cornish Scones with Jam and Clotted Cream

Who doesn't love a traditional Cornish cream tea? Warm fluffy scones, sweet strawberry jam and cold unctuous clotted cream! There really is nothing better on a warm, sunny, summer afternoon than a cup of tea and one of these yummy scones piled high with jam and Cornish clotted cream. Bliss!

Why not have a go at making these traditional Cornish scones on National Cream Tea Day 2018? Scones are really easy to make and a great bake for children to have a go at too.

NATIONAL CREAM TEA DAY

This year, National Cream Tea Day will be celebrated on Friday 29th June. Don't forget to share your cream tea love on social media using the hashtag #NationalCreamTeaDay. Rodda's, the official partner of National Cream Tea Day will be sharing posts throughout the day.

The Cream Tea Society have also produced posters and bunting to help celebrate National Cream Tea Day, so whether you own a little cafe or are perhaps hosting a Cream Tea Day charity event, there is something for you.

TOP TIPS FOR MAKING THE SCONES

If you can't get hold of buttermilk, make your own by squeezing some lemon juice into the same amount of whole milk (in this case 300ml) and leave to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before using.
You don't need a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Just shape it with your hands for rustic scones.
The scones are best eaten fresh, but they can be frozen. When you want to eat them take them out of the freezer and pop them in a hot oven for 5 minutes to heat up.

OTHER BAKED GOODIES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Cheese Ploughman Scones from Jam and Clotted Cream
Cornish Splits with Jam and Cream from Jam and Clotted Cream
Egg free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Jam and Clotted Cream
Double Ginger Oat Cookies from Jam and Clotted Cream
Biscoff Swirl Brownies from Jam and Clotted Cream

SCONES WITH JAM AND CLOTTED CREAM

scones, jam, clotted cream

baking

Yield: 8 sconesAuthor: Beth SachsPin it

Scones with Jam and Clotted Cream

prep time: 10 minscook time: 10 minstotal time: 20 mins

A traditional Cornish scone recipe with strawberry jam and clotted cream.

ingredients:

450g Self Raising Flour
1/4 TSP Salt
100g Butter, cold and diced into cubes
70g Caster Sugar
300ml Buttermilk
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
Milk to glaze
Jam and Clotted Cream to serve

instructions:

Preheat the oven to 220°c (200°fan). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
In a large bowl rub together the flour, salt and sugar until you get a fine breadcrumb consistency.
Stir in the caster sugar with a metal knife.
Pour the buttermilk and vanilla in a microwaveable bowl and heat for 30 seconds then pour into the flour. Mix with a knife then bring together with your hands into a soft dough.
Place the dough on a floured surface, shape into a round, about 4cm thick and stamp out 8 scones using a 4cm cutter.
Place the scones on the baking tray, glaze with milk and bake for 10 minutes.
Split the scones with your hands and serve with jam and clotted cream.

PIN THE RECIPE FOR LATER

Beth Sachs

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braun fathers day foodie gifts gift guide

Thank-you Dad! Father's Day Gift Guide 2018

Mums seem to get a lot of the praise when it comes to raising the kids and running a busy household and it’s certainly true that I do most of the cooking, cleaning and ferrying the kids in this house. However, I can put my hand on my heart and say that as a family we would be lost without the unbending support of my husband. He works so hard (often 60 hour weeks) to enable us to live the best life we can in one of the most beautiful parts of the country and for that we are very grateful.

We bought a lovely big house a few years ago and my husband spends every spare minute he has (often into the early hours) on DIY projects, helping us to achieve our dream home. He is also chief fixer of broken toy’s, un-tangler of fishing rod’s, Frisbee rescuer (from very high 300 year old oak tree’s), cleaner of football boots and builder of some pretty amazing den’s and tree houses for our 3 children (mine just don’t cut the mustard apparently).

He also gets lumbered with the not so glamorous jobs around the house like cleaning out the gutters, vacuuming out sand from the cars thanks to our regular beach trips, unblocking drains (which has been far too frequent thanks to the recent slime craze) and even miraculously fixing my broken washing machine. He really is quite handy! He does all of these jobs without complaint (although the slime unblocking incidents did push him to the limit!), just because he adores his family. I really don’t know what we would do without him.

We always try and make a big fuss of him on Father’s Day (which is on the 17^th June this year) so if your family, like mine, want to show your appreciation for the Dad in your lives then have a look below to find out what gifts we’ll be treating him to this year. Given that his time is so precious, many of the items are practical and time saving, allowing him to spend more time with his family and some are just plain fun. Hopefully these ideas will give you some inspiration too!

NEW WEBER GAS BBQ

We currently own a Weber charcoal BBQ, which has seen a lot of use already this year. But being charcoal it can get a bit messy and also takes quite a while to clean (which is obviously his job)! We’ve been eyeing up a Weber Gas BBQ for a while so I thought I’d surprise him with this one for Father’s Day and retire our the charcoal BBQ to the beach hut. The Q1200 model comes with an optional stand and is the perfect size for our balcony. The cast iron lid and body make it robust enough for the salty sea air and I also really like the 2 fold down side tables at either side of the grill, meaning there is somewhere to put all those sauce bottles and bread rolls! Let’s hoping for a long hot summer ahead.

PERSONALISED GOLF BALLS

We’re a sports mad house here. Football, rugby, cricket, hockey, netball, swimming, athletics….we either play it, watch it or listen to it. Antony loves his golf too and really enjoys a round with his friends on our local golf course at Bude. He does lose a fair few balls though, so we thought we’d treat him to a set of these personalised golf balls from Prezzy Box. Hopefully he will be able to identify them in the rough and dunes.

BRAUN SERIES 3 PROSKIN SHAVER

He’s been asking for a new electric shaver for quite a while and this Braun Series 3 ProSkin shaver fits the bill perfectly. It gives you freedom of choice between a clean shave and a precise beard style with one device. The shaving head attachment works in straight intuitive strokes so there’s no need to circle over the same spot twice, minimising skin irritation. When he fancies a stubble or beard you can just switch the shaver head with the trimmer head, plus one of the 5 combs and you can precisely trim between 1 and 7mm. I love the sleek design of the shaver, giving him a little bit luxury.

The Braun Series 3 shave and style captures more hair in the first stroke, meaning he can shave with greater efficiency and skin comfort than ever before. With a 1 hour charge it also gives you enough battery life for a full week of shaves, making it the perfect shaver to take away on his business trips. There is also the option of a quick 5 minute charge which gives you enough power for 1 shave.

The Braun S3 ProSkin is 100% waterproof, meaning you can clean it under running water, or even use it in the shower.

COOKERY COURSE AT PHILEIGH WAY

Antony’s never really learnt to cook (mainly thanks to me hogging the kitchen) so the kids thought it would be a good idea to treat him to a beginners cookery course at Phileigh Way Cookery School here in Cornwall. My blog is seeing me spending a bit more time away from home lately, so it will be good for him to have a few easy dishes in his repertoire that he can call upon whilst I’m away. As much as the kids like fish and chips there is a limit to the amount you can healthily consume! The beginners cookery course at Phileigh Way see’s them making soup, fish cakes and sticky toffee pudding (his favourite pud!) as well as learning many basic cooking techniques too.

CORNISH CHEESE HAMPER

He likes his food so we thought we’d treat him to this luxury Cornish cheese and chutney hamper from Curds and Croust and take it down to our local beach for a Father’s Day picnic.

PERSONALISED CORNISH PASTY

He’s a born and bred Cornishman who loves a proper Cornish pasty! When I saw these personalised pasties from Not On The High Street I knew I’d have to buy one for him. We’re going to pop one in his work lunchbox on Monday 18^th June (the day after Fathers Day) for an extra surprise.

Disclosure: This post was developed in collaboration with Braun. I received the Braun Series 3 ProSkin Shaver and payment for this post. All thoughts are my own.

Beth Sachs

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chilli Sausages snack world cup

Beef Chilli Hot Dogs

You probably know by now that we're a sports mad household and with 2 footballers amongst us, World Cup fever is most definitely building. We've got the Panini sticker album (2 of them!), hundreds of stickers and a wall chart all ready to go! Most of the group matches are at pretty reasonable times and two of the England matches kick off at 7pm, so we're busy planning some fun football watching snacks to make, ready for kick off.

These yummy and filling beef chilli hot dogs are perfect for eating in front of the TV whilst cheering on your team. You've got the soft brioche hot dog rolls, warming spicy beef chilli and meaty pork sausages - they really are a meat lovers dream. Just make sure you have a couple of napkins to hand to mop up any mucky fingers!

The chilli part of the recipe is made using Marks and Spencer's British minute steak and like all of it's beef products, can be traced back to the farm and individual animal the meat came from. In fact M&S is the only national retailer in the UK that can trace every single piece of beef it sells, whether it's in a prepared meal, a sandwich or a prime cut. They use DNA sampling to achieve this traceability and a sample is taken from every single animal from every farm that supplies M&S. Thousands of tests are carried out every year on products taken at random from M&S stores, checking that the beef is moving through the supply chain correctly - from farm to abattoir to processor to store - and that the high standards are being adhered to.

It certainly gives you peace of mind over the provenance of your food and also supports the British farming industry as 100% of M&S beef comes from British farms.

TOP TIPS FOR MAKING THE CHILLI DOGS

If you're serving these for kids just leave off the chopped fresh chilli's on top.
Any leftover chilli con carne can be used as a topping to jacket potatoes - another great snack!
Make it veggie by substituting the minute steak with quorn mince and the pork sausages with veggie sausages.
You can make the chilli a few days before to save time on match day.

OTHER FOOTBALL WATCHING RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Chorizo, Mozzarella and Pesto Pizza from Jam and Clotted Cream
Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne served with tortilla chips from Jam and Clotted Cream
Spicy Sweet Potato Chips from Jam and Clotted Cream

CHILLI DOGS - THE PERFECT WORLD CUP SNACK

hot dogs, chilli

American

Yield: 6Author: Beth SachsPin it

Beef Chilli Hot Dogs

prep time: 15 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 35 mins

Spicy Chilli Beef Hot Dogs made with a rich beef chilli and 97% pork sausages. Serve with mustard, hot sauce and sliced fresh chilli's for the perfect World Cup snack.