Within this article, we will be exploring the main differences between Kalahari Desert Salt and Himalayan Pink Salt, expertly selected by Maldon and part of our Merchants Range.

We’ll first take you on a journey of understanding the two salt’s varying origins; their composition, taste and other relevant factors to help provide a clear comparison of the two.

After getting to know the history behind the salts, we then demonstrate the usage, knowing which salt is better suited for a particular dish or beverage to the other.

Once we have covered off all things cooking and seasoning, we touch upon the importance of ethical sourcing of the two salts, before letting you all know where you can purchase your very own pack of our Kalahari Desert Salt and Himalayan Pink Salt, Selected by Maldon.

Kalahari Salt vs. Himalayan Salt: Comparisons

Origin

Kalahari Salt:

Firstly, Kalahari Salt is sourced from the vast desert plains of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, where natural salt formations occur from an underground salt deposit that has existed for millions of years. It is why Kalahari translates to the phrase ‘the land without water’, as salt lakes, like Lake Makgadikgadi, that had once existed have since dried up from continuous water evaporation, leaving a salt desert in its place.

The salt is extracted from the natural underground salt deposits, where water dissolves the salt to create a brine solution. After that, it brought to the surface and then it is then dried from the sun’s rays to leave a coarse rock salt as the finished product.

Himalayan Salt:

In contrast, Himalayan Pink Salt is sourced from the foothills of the Himalayas in Pakistan. Deposits were formed thousands of years ago when ancient seas came inland and slowly began to evaporate, leaving behind natural salt accumulations.

When continents shifted through tectonic activity, the rock that surrounded the seabed was forced to shift upward through constructive plate boundary pressures, creating a mountain range. This mountain range is now known to many as the Himalayas, where rock crystals of salt can be mined from areas close to the range to source the popular rock salt.

Composition

It is important to note that all types of salts are made of sodium chloride, with the nutrient content varying only slightly. These trace minerals are why composition may differ slightly in their structure and colourisation. Both salts are completely additive free, being of natural composition only.

Kalahari Salt:

Once extracted from the desert, the Kalahari salt holds a coarse grain size, containing many minerals and trace elements.

This is why Kalahari salt is white in colour, due to the evaporated water from the lake leaving a thin layer of trace minerals under a layer of pure white crystal salt, which is roughly 98% sodium chloride.

Himalayan Salt:

This rock salt is famous for its rosy pink hue due to the minerals within the underground salt deposits that it is mined from. Trace minerals of calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and iron all play a big part in the colourisation of the Himalayan salt.

Himalayan salt, like Kalahari salt, is also coarsely ground in its most unrefined form, but can be purchased in a more finely grounded version if desired.

Taste

Kalahari Salt and Himalayan Salt:

Because all types of rock salt are composed of sodium chloride as the majority element, there is very little difference in taste.

Himalayan Pink Salt tends to hold a subtle sweetness to its flavour profile due to containing trace elements of iron oxide. In comparison, Kalahari Desert has been known to have a more delicate taste due to the way it is extracted.

Kalahari Salt vs Himalayan Salt: Usage

Kalahari Salt:

Kalahari Desert Salt is ideal for boosting the flavours of meat dishes. It can be used on meat for barbecuing and grilling (think of a traditional South African Braai). It is also great when added to fish, white meat and poultry.

Not only is Kalahari Salt used for just meats, you can incorporate the salt into baking. The delicate release of the saltiness is perfect for cooking authentic breads such as mealie bread, known as mealiebrood.

Himalayan Salt:

Many use Himalayan Salt as part of the cooking process for sauces and marinades – which is why it is perfect when used in curries, dhals and other authentic South Asian dishes.

Because the salt contains a beautiful pink hue, you tend to see the salt used as a salt rim on a delicious cocktail for both vibrancy and texture as you take your first sip.

Kalahari Salt and Himalayan Salt: Ethical Factors

We ensure all our suppliers have ethical standards in place. Both our Himalayan Pink Salt and Kalahari Desert Salt producers have had multiple audits and accreditation in relation to ethical and welfare standards. 

We have spent years searching for the perfect partners and we have found producers who have multiple GFSI certificates (Global Food Safety Initiative i.e. BRC) and also have a state-of-the-art optical sorter to ensure only the correct grade of salt is selected. The finished product is then packed in our own BRC Accredited production site in the UK, under the careful eye of our quality assurance team.

Kalahari Salt and Himalayan Salt: Availability

You can purchase your very own 250g pack of Kalahari Desert Salt and Himalayan Pink Salt on our Amazon UK Store.

Keep a lookout in your local supermarket or wholesaler who could be stocking our Merchants Range!

Kalahari Salt vs. Himalayan Salt Conclusion

This article has taken you on a journey to understanding the differences between Kalahari Salt and Himalayan Salt. From gaining insight to the origins of the salts, to what dishes suit best when choosing from the two.

Selected by seasoned experts, Maldon Salt continues to bring fantastic flavour at your fingertips!

For more inspiration on how to use our Merchant Range, head over to our Recipe, Tips and Blog page.

We are delighted to team up with Penguin Books once again to explore the incredibly talented Jane Dunn.

Jane is a bestselling food writer, blogger and photographer from the South of England, where her culinary creativity never ceases to fail! From birthday cake cookies to gin & tonic cupcakes, Jane’s recipes have become worldwide favourites, promising keen bakers recipes that are full to the brim with deliciousness and a touch of nostalgia.

2014 is the year in which it all begun, where Jane started her blog after training at Ashburton Chefs Academy. With the great passion and skill, Jane has now achieved 60+ million views on her blog page every year, with all current social channels equating to 1.5 million followers! (That’s a lot!). Jane has baked on This Morning and James Martin’s Saturday Kitchen, where her tasty sweet treats and scrumptious savoury bakes also featuring in The Times and Cosmopolitan.

With growing success, Jane released her debut cookbook ‘Jane’s Patisserie: Deliciously Customisable Cakes, Bakes and Treats’, which landed the No. 1 Sunday Times Bestseller in 2021, with her second cookbook, ‘Jane’s Patisserie: Celebrate!’ also attaining an instant No.1 bestseller!

So…it’s with no surprise that with the launch of Jane’s THIRD cookbook, ‘Jane’s Patisserie Everyday,’ it has also become the NUMBER ONE bestseller for Sunday Times. The book covers from loved classics of chunky cookies and cloud-like cupcakes, to delicious savoury tray bakes and cheesy breads!

With over 70 new and exclusive recipes that have been requested by fans, Jane has created a cookbook that has everything you need to produce showstopping bakes for your friends and families. Additionally, there are 30 classic favourites to choose from, including tips on how to freeze your bakes and also a section on free-from cooking.

A few recipes include: Carrot Cake Blondies, Marmite & Cheese Buns and Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins….and many more!

In Conversation with Jane Dunn

With a (big) slice of cake and a cup of tea, we managed to sit down with Jane and discuss all things about the release of her newest cookbook; from looking into the inspirations behind writing the book to what a normal day in the life looks like for her.

Hello Jane! BIG congratulations on the release of your THIRD book!  Tell us, what inspired you create your brand-new cookbook?

Ohhh thank you so much! I genuinely can’t believe I’m on my third book already, it feels completely surreal. I wanted to make sure with my third book that I created something that people could genuinely use every day of the week, whether that was for something sweet or savoury, and have delicious recipes to enjoy. I have always aimed my recipes at people who have absolutely no ability to cook or bake, people who have started their cooking journey, or people who are fully fledged cooks and just want something tasty… it’s a book for everyone.

The book includes 70 new fan-requested recipes! (Which are all utterly delicious!) What was the most requested recipe from your fans?

I adore putting the exclusive recipes into the book as people are so excited to make them, and I adore seeing the bakes on social media! The most highly requested book by far was the cornflake brownies, and the tiramisu… they were tied for first place and I can see that so many people have made them already!

You also feature plenty of classics within your book…come on, you must have a favourite!

Classic bakes and meals are by far the best ones out there – you cannot beat a classic such as the custard creams, party rings, school cake and so on…. I struggle to pick however as I adore them all. I reckon I would eat the jam roly poly over and over again though, with LOTS and LOTS of custard to boot. My mum and dad however are superfans of the spotted dick recipe as it’s their favourite classic.

What would be your top tips for someone wanting to get into baking?

It may sound silly, but you just want to take it slow… make sure you read through the recipe, make sure you have some weighing scales, and if you’re nervous, grab a super cheap oven thermometer and you will be fine. Baking may be like a science, but it’s really easy once you have those bits sorted… baking is like therapy for me and I adore it, it’s nice to follow a process and take your time with it rather than having to rush about and feel stressed. You can enjoy making it, decorating it, and of course eating it! Bake what you want to bake, become confident with the basics, and then have fun experimenting!

There’s a whole chapter dedicated to ‘Free-From’ – is this something that you are passionate about sharing to your readers?

Oh yes I definitely wanted to bring some baking inspiration to free-from in my third book. It’s a chapter that is designed to help inspire people who haven’t done free-from baking before, and a chapter to help you out if you suddenly have a guest with dietary requirements. There are some simple recipes in there as go-to’s as well as swaps that can be super useful in the baking and cooking world to suit gluten free and also vegan. I have many friends who have dietary requirements and I always want to be able to cater for them as well.

What does a normal day in the life look for you, Jane?

I would say my days are probably the cosiest of days, and I am super lucky. I generally wake up, grab a coffee and walk my mad dog Thor, and then we go via the shop to my studio and bake.  My studio is right next to a farm, so I usually have to drive past Lottie the donkey who I can hear throughout the day. I spend most of my time testing recipes over and over, whilst writing down my notes and editing videos whilst everything is cooling. I always have a team of trusty taste testers about to give feedback, and they are always super complimentary… it’s funny to watch people nab as much cake as they can get away with. I usually spend some time going through social media, answering any dilemmas and also interacting with my followers as I adore it, and it’s so nice to see people make my recipes and get involved. I am very lucky with what I do as it brings so many people so much joy, and I just love it myself.

Name three things in the kitchen you can’t live without!

I would have to say it’s my weighing scales, a decent spatula and my parchment paper stash. Genuinely I can’t think of how many weighing scales I have been through now after pouring liquids onto them one too many times, or simply using them too many times… they’re an absolute must. My spatulas have to have a decent 90º angle on them so they can get to every single drop of ingredients in a pan, with an ever so slight bend to use them in a bowl… I hate wasting ingredients so I am a firm believer in scraping that bowl clean with your spatula. And finally my parchment paper stash… you can’t be a baker without parchment paper in my opinion, the amount of tins I have to line on a daily basis, and it makes it so much easier!

Bakewell Scones Recipe

These little parcels of heaven are so delightful and moreish. Jane loves to serve hers with plenty of clotted cream and a cherry conserve, but you can serve them however you like. These are a great ‘make-ahead’ option as you can prep the scone dough, shape and then freeze – you just need to add 2 minutes to the baking time.

Makes: 9

Prep: 30 minutes

Baking time: 10-13 minutes

Cool time: 30 minutes

Lasts: 3+ days, at room temperature

Ingredients:

• 100g chilled unsalted butter, cubed
• 325g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 150g ground almonds
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp Maldon sea salt flakes
• 190ml whole milk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 150g glacé cherries, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 30g flaked almonds

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC fan and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Place the tray in the oven to preheat.
3. Add the butter, flour, ground almonds, sugar, baking powder and Maldon Salt to a large bowl. Rub the ingredients together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Warm the milk in a pan on the hob or in the microwave, then pour into the mixture with the lemon juice and almond extract. Mix the dough together with a spatula, adding the glacé cherries.
4. On a floured work surface, tip out the scone dough and flatten with your hands until 5cm thick. Cut out eight scones using a 6–7cm cutter. Carefully place onto the preheated tray, then glaze with the beaten egg.
5. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds, then bake in the oven for 10–13 minutes, or until golden.
6. Leave to cool slightly and then enjoy.

Want to create a recipe from this book?!

You can find where to purchase Jane’s NEW cookbook here and start baking delicious sweet treats and savoury snacks for your friends and family.

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.

Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Jane’s recipes!

In this month’s edition of Maldon’s Cookbook Club, we have partnered up with Penguin Books to explore the culinary masterpieces of Fliss Freeborn.

Fliss has been writing about food since she was 8 years old, where her first ‘cookbook‘ featured recipes including clotted cream and golden syrup on toast! It was her love for cooking which allowed her to share recipes and quirky takes on food through her own blog, ‘Student Cuisine for the Gloomy Teen’. The great success of the blog eventually led Fliss to winning the award for best cookery writing at the 2023 Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards – an amazing achievement!

And the excitement doesn’t stop there…June 27th was the date in which Fliss released her debut cookbook: ‘Do Yourself a Flavour‘.

If you are a young person wanting to expand your culinary skills beyond basic pot noodles and beans on toast, than this cookbook will be your best friend! Too well does Fliss understand the struggles of cooking during university on a restrictive budget. She wants show people that you too can create delicious tasting foods without breaking the bank or needing the latest kitchen accessory!

With a collection of over 75 recipes to choose from, you’ll find yourself reading the chapters of speedy meals, tasty dinners and crowd-pleasing feasts. If you like the ‘sweeter’ things in life, she also offers easy sweet treats and bakes. Hilariously, she also dedicates a few pages for feeding the drunk or when you are hungover – which can be a real life-saver!

The cookbook is also brimming with tips and tricks, from using up leftovers to cooking for the freezer – this is truly the ultimate ‘foodie’ guide for any young person looking to advance their cooking.

In Conversation with Fliss Freeborn…

When Fliss had a spare minute from cooking, we had our notepad and pen at the ready, wanting to get to know Fliss on a more personal level. We touch upon her inspirations behind the cookbook to her own top tips for people wanting to learn how to cook. We also look into what a normal day in the life looks like for Fliss!

Fliss, we are obsessed with your cookbook ‘Do Yourself a Flavour’. Tell us, where did your love for cooking first come from?

My parents considered cooking from scratch to be a non-negotiable life-skill, so I was lucky enough to have been encouraged in the kitchen from a very young age. I even had one of those high-chairs which clamped to the kitchen counter to save space – my parent’s first kitchen was tiny but they still wanted to involve me with everything. My dad used to make me taste and smell everything that was going into the cooking pot, which included all the different herbs and spices from the rack mounted on the wall. I then started baking at the age of around six, and I was obsessed with that for a good few years – it was during the crazy cupcake craze of 2008-2012 that I got really into cake decoration, which gave me the confidence to experiment with proper meals later on in my teenage years.

Your book has a collection of recipes to help people cook tasty food without breaking the bank – is this something that is important to you?

Yes. My parents split up when I was 14 or so, and to help out, I took over the majority of the cooking and food shopping. We’d never been a financially stable family due to my dad being an entrepreneur with several different businesses which he had to keep afloat – something which I was very much made aware of as a child – so our food budget was never enormous. I am very privileged to have never gone hungry, and to have had lots of educational opportunities given to me, but making food stretch as far as possible and not wasting anything was key in our household, as I’m sure it was in many others. It’s very important to me that we learn to be respectful of the ingredients we’re working with – even if they come, like mine do, from a budget supermarket. Knowing how to make something tasty out of a few cheaper ingredients is a precious skill to have, so I’m thrilled to be able to pass on this knowledge in the book.

There’s plenty of tips and tricks in your book to help young people expand their love for cooking! What would be your main top tips for people wanting to learn how to cook?

As Mary Poppins once said: find the fun and snap: the job’s a game. If you don’t enjoy cooking, it’s always going to be a chore, so find out what sort of things you like to eat and then see if you can find the joy in figuring out how to make it yourself. My second tip is to trust your instincts – you don’t have to be a slave to the recipe. If you taste it and you think it needs more cumin, add more cumin. I say in the book that you have to imagine you have a nonna on your shoulder – if she says ‘a splash more’ you add a splash more. And lastly, slightly antagonistically to that previous tip, do things slowly and carefully at first – you can always add, but you can’t take-away!

There are over 75 delicious recipes to choose from…come on, you must have a favourite!

Ah the age old favourite child question. Well, just like my mother, I do have a favourite* – it’s the mussel linguine, which I originally wrote out as a series of limericks but it’s in there as a conventional recipe too. It uses one of those cheap packets of pre-cooked mussels that lots of people bypass at the supermarket, but amps it up using lots of fresh parsley, lemon zest, chilli and cherry tomatoes. It’s a really uplifting dish.

*Big joke. Huge joke. It’s both me and my brother. We are her favourite. Ahem.

We love the humour of your cookbook, from the title to the catchy chapters; is this your way of showing people to have more fun with cooking?

Yes, I suppose it is – that’s something I hadn’t really considered before, seeing as my writing is simply a direct reflection of the way my brain works. I’m thrilled that my turn of phrase makes sense to other people when it comes to descriptions in my recipes. The humour is also probably subconscious response to the fact that many recipes are written in more or less the same way: do this, add this, stir that and serve. Mine are somewhat – ok, very much – more playful but I still hope are just as functional as those without the humour. 

What does a normal day in the life look for you Fliss?

I travel a lot, and also do a lot of ad-hoc temporary work, so having a routine feels like wearing a straightjacket to me: a ‘normal’ day is kind of hard to pin down. To answer your question though, let me take you through what sometimes happens when I’m at home in Glasgow with no direct employer-related obligations.

I’ll wake up at about 9am (sorry, everyone) and then make three cubic feet of tea while having good old scroll through some cat videos, many of which I send to my boyfriend who is already being a productive human at work. Then, I’ll answer some emails and doomscroll Twitter until my social media time limit kicks in, which is always a good reminder to do something useful, like hang up the washing I forgot about yesterday.

I don’t get hungry til around 11:30 usually, and I answer the call of my stomach with whatever I can find in the fridge, which is usually cheese, or maybe some olives, or bread if I’ve made some. Then, I panic about all the things I have to do, so I’ll either have a shower, or go for a brief and hateful jog to delay actually doing the things, before heading to the library or a coffee shop to do some writing. And some more panicking for good measure.

By 3.30pm I’m hungry and restless and ready to buy whatever anyone wants to sell me, so I might head to the local bakery for a spot of cash haemorrhaging before returning home to eat whatever I’ve bought with plenty of salted butter – and possibly a salad if I’m feeling virtuous. After lunch, I start thinking about dinner.

(The above holds unless I’m on a fun writing project, where I can zone everything out including hunger signals, and only exit my trance-like state when I realised I’ve also been needing to pee for the last 12 hours. This trance-like state can continue for about four days, after which I need a holiday to the Maldives but will make do with thinking about sand.)

In the evening, we’ll often be hosting a friend or two for tea. I’ll have planned what I’m making before I invite them, and I’ll usually have done a pudding in advance. If we’re not hosting, we’re meeting pals at the pub. I say we, because at this point, my chap has arrived home from work, so I can show him cat videos in person. But whether we’ve been pubbing, entertaining, working, or simply lounging about watching Taskmaster, we tend to head to bed around 11:30pm where I am guaranteed to have some sort of ridiculous dream sequence involving fish which I’ll have to write down in the notebook on the nightstand at 4am.

What a charmed and peaceful life I lead!

Name three things in the kitchen you simply can’t live without!

Salt, lemons, microplane grater. Easy. And brief because I talked too much in the last one.

Sicilian-Style Aubergine Stew

Whenever Fliss asks her friends what they’d like to eat, they never really have a clue, to which she suggests either a curry, roast, a risotto or perhaps a ‘caponata’.

‘A caponata?’…

It a sour Sicilian stew made with lots of olive oil, aubergines, tomatoes and capers, lifted by a heavy hit of red wine vinegar. You can use pine nuts to this dish, but Fliss likes to use chopped almonds for a more heartier crunch!

This recipe is closely based on a caponata but with more flexibility on the ingredients. It freezes well, so if cooking for fewer than four people, you can save portions for another rainy day!

Serves: 4 as a main, 6 as a side

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour, plus 2-4 hours resting on the hob

Ingredients:

• a third of a mug of good olive oil
• 2 large or 3 smaller aubergines
• 4 shallots, if you can find them, or 2 medium white onions if you can’t
• 2 garlic cloves (optional)
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes or peeled plum tomatoes
• a tablespoon of raisins (exceedingly optional, but very authentic)
• 2 tablespoons of double-concentrated tomato purée
• a smallish glass or half a mug of red wine (about 150ml)
• a good tablespoon of capers (if your palate hasn’t yet reached maturity, you may leave these delicious morsels out)
• 2 tablespoons of pitted olives, or more if you like them (I’ll use whatever’s in the cupboard or fridge; it doesn’t matter if they’re green or black. Again, if you’re not a culinary chad, you can leave these out)
• 4–5 tablespoons of EITHER (in order of preference) red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar or malt vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of pine nuts, if the budget allows, or the same quantity of chopped almonds if it doesn’t, to serve
• A pinch of Maldon Salt
• a good handful of fresh basil, if you want, to serve

Method:

1. Pour your olive oil into a large, deep saucepan –  it should definitely cover the bottom and come up the sides a little. Place over a medium heat. As it warms up, roughly chop your aubergines into oblongs of around 2–3cm. Add them to the pan, along with some salt, and fry them, stirring often, until the oil has soaked in and there’s a little bit of golden-brown colouring on the flesh – around 6–8 minutes. You may need to do this in batches to get some properly nice browning.
2. Just as the aubergines are colouring, remove them from the pan and set aside in a bowl – you’ll want them again in just a minute. There should be a small amount of olive oil left in the pan. Finely chop and fry your shallots or onions with a pinch of salt in this oil, adding more if necessary. Cover until they’re translucent and cooked through, around 10 minutes. Add the garlic halfway if you’re using it. Then, return the aubergines to the pan and fry for a little longer. Next, add your tins of chopped tomatoes, breaking up any plum ones with a spoon as you go. Add a good pinch of salt now, and a grinding of black pepper, along with your raisins, if they’re going in. Squeeze in the tomato purée and add the red wine, then stir and simmer for around 45 minutes–1 hour with a lid on.
3. Once that time is up, stretch and have a cup of tea, then take the chance to add the capers and olives, if using. Next, pour in your vinegar. It should smell really sour at this point, and have a good acidic top note when you taste it, but with a deep richness underneath from all that previous simmering.
4. Adjust for seasoning (does it need acidity? Or perhaps more Maldon Salt? Or maybe it’s too tangy for you and you need a splash of olive oil? When you’re happy, let it simmer – uncovered – for around  10 minutes while you doom-scroll. You can serve  it now, but it’s much better if you switch off the heat and leave it on the hob to meld for a few hours, reheating when you want to serve it.
5. To serve, toast the almonds or pine nuts in a dry frying pan and scatter them over the pot, along with some torn fresh basil leaves.
6. Caponata is usually served as a side, but we’ve taken to having this dish as part of an Italian-themed main, served with lots of focaccia, some antipasti, such as artichokes and salami, and a huge green salad.

Want to create a recipe from this book?!

You can find where to purchase Fliss’ cookbook here and start getting creative in the kitchen!

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.

Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Fliss’ recipes!

For June, we continue our collaboration with Penguin Books to explore the talented Mimi Harrison.

Mimi is a skilful recipe developer and content creator who is behind the popular platform, Beat the Budget. Her brand is motivated by her own experience of depending on cheap and unhealthy foods whilst studying at University because it was convenient. Mimi wanted to change her path, and begun creating a blog and Instagram presence online to provide more healthy and affordable alternatives that are delicious and not expensive to make!

As her culinary creations grew, so did Mimi’s success, where she now has over 270k followers on Instagram. Her tasty recipes have also been featured on likes of ASDA and Sainsbury’s Magazine.

Excitingly, on 8th June Mimi released our debut cookbook: ‘Beat the Budget: Affordable Easy Recipes and Simple Meal Prep‘. The book’s mission is about proving that delicious food doesn’t have to be expensive and complicated and that you can achieve these results with the simplest of methods and ingredients.

With a collection of flavour-packed, fuss-free recipes to choose from, you can put down an amazing dish on the table without breaking the bank, which is why every recipe featured in the book comes at just £1.25 per portion! Chapters include easy breakfasts, soups and salads, one-pot wonders, fakeaways and sweet treats. What is also useful about this book is that Mimi shares her own tips and tricks on meal prepping and shopping lists, along with showcasing recipes that can be easily made with an air fryer or slow cookers to keep energy prices down.

In Conversation with Mimi Harrison

We were lucky enough to grab the chance in sitting down with Mimi and discuss all things surrounding how book and the inspirations behind it! Mimi even shared her top tips for people trying to budget when cooking, and her own personal favourite recipe from the book!

Mimi, it’s fair to say we are LOVING your debut cookbook ‘Beat the Budget’! Tell us, where did the inspiration to create affordable, easy recipes come from?

Thank you so much! That makes me so happy to hear. I started Beat the Budget (originally called Mimi Makes) at uni when I was struggling to balance healthy, delicious food with my new £20 weekly food budget. I felt like at the time, I could only find either cheap and unhealthy recipes or healthy and super expensive dishes, so I really wanted to start posting recipes that were balanced but also really affordable.

What are your main top tips for people trying to budget when cooking?

It’s all in the planning- spend around 20 minutes before you go shopping to plan out multiple recipes. I like to then write the shopping list according to the supermarket layout so you’re not walking back and forth, making impulse purchases. Also make sure you’re not hungry when you shop as this will cause you to throw all sorts into your trolly.

Cross-over ingredients- with more expensive ingredients, try and choose recipes where you can spread the cost of the ingredient over multiple recipes, which will reduce waste and cut costs. An example of this that I like to use is sharing a pot of crème fraiche- you can add a dollop to soup, loosen and drizzle over fajitas or use it as the base for a creamy pasta/risotto. All of these recipes feel really different whilst using the same ingredient.

Meal prep all the way- most of my recipes serve 4-6 servings which make them either ideal for a family or great for meal prep, hopefully making my book suitable for a lot of people! I save so much money on meal prepping as you’re spreading the costs over multiple dishes. What I love to do is select a freezable recipe, make a batch of it and then freeze half of the servings in individual containers. Overtime, you stock up on a variety of meals which will prevent boredom and make your meal prep more sustainable! I call this a freezer-cycle.

Slow cookers and air fryers are used in a few of your recipes, if you had to only choose one of the appliances, which one would you keep?

Ahh that’s such a hard one! I love them both but if I had to choose, I’d probably choose my airfryer as I love the crispy-ness that you can achieve with a minimal amount of oil. Oil is so pricey so I don’t just limit it for health reasons! I also want to steer clear of my oven at all costs when the weather is so hot like it is currently!

Meal prep advice is featured within the book, why do you think people should start meal prepping more?

As mentioned above, the savings you can make when meal prepping are obviously amazing. You can bulk buy bigger quantities of  ingredients which will save you money but you also reduce waste as it’s easier to plan to use all of your ingredients up. With costs aside, meal prepping saves you so much time! I feel like if you can still eat delicious food that you won’t get bored of by implementing the freezer cycle, all the negatives of meal prepping can be eliminated.

There are so many recipes to choose from, come on, you must have a favourite?

Ahhhh I can’t choose an absolute favourite as I love them all so much, but my favourite this week is my Ginger & Lime Chicken Legs with Coconut Rice. Chicken legs are the most underrated cut of meat- they’re even cheaper than chicken thighs! I love how it comes together in one pan and it’s really fresh whilst feeling hearty at the same time.

What does a normal day in the life look like for you Mimi?

I’m filming or testing recipes most days at the moment which is so much fun. I usually go for a walk/run with my dog & then head out to the studio to start prepping my ingredients for the day. At the moment I have to stop filming by around 2 o’clock as the studio gets too hot! So then it’s time to divide the food into meal prep containers and the rest of the day will be laptop/editing time.

Name 3 things in the kitchen you can’t live without!

My ninja possible pan- I use it everyday at least twice, the size and shape means that it’s perfect for cooking 4-5 servings at a time (which we love). You can also put it in the oven so that it reduces clean up by making a lot of one pot dishes!

My plastic bench scraper– I get so many questions about this in my reels! It’s a rectangular piece of plastic that helps you to scoop up any chopped vegetables in one sweep. It saves so much time with prep. You can get them for around a pound from Amazon!

My glass meal prep containers- they’re oven/microwave/air fryer proof which means that I can just chuck my meal prep directly into whatever appliance I need to reheat it. Also, they’re so sturdy that nothing is escaping/spilling out of them.

Ginger & Lime Chicken Legs with Coconut Rice

This is one of Mimi’s favourite recipes in the book. Not only is it one-pot, but is also requires minimal prep. She loves how comforting the meal is, yet every mouthful feels so fresh and vibrant with the zingy ginger notes and the kick of lime, contrasting with the creamy rice. Oh, and if you’re looking for the gains, this recipes has 60g of protein in it! Woohoo!

Serves: 5 people

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 5 chicken legs, (about 1.1kg)
• 50 g spring onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 350 g rice, rinsed
• 750 ml chicken stock juice of ½ lime + wedges to serve
• 1 x 400 g can coconut milk
• 100 g tenderstem broccoli, florets sliced and stems thinly sliced
• handful of fresh coriander, torn to serve
• Maldon Salt
• Black pepper

1. Set a deep pan over a medium heat and add the rapeseed oil.
   Season both sides of the chicken legs with salt and pepper,
   then place the legs skin-side down in the pan and leave to fry
   for around 15 minutes.
2. Rotate and cook the chicken legs for a further 15 minutes on the other side. The skin should be crispy and golden brown and the meat almost cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the spring onion to the same pan (reserving some of the greener ends for garnish) and add the garlic and ginger. Fry over a medium heat for a few minutes.
4. Add the rice to the pan and stir, then pour in the stock, lime juice and coconut milk.
5. Add the chicken legs back to the pan, skin-side facing upwards. Cover and leave to cook over a medium/low heat for18 minutes, adding the broccoli after eight minutes.
6. Garnish with the reserved green spring onion ends, lime wedges and fresh coriander and dig in!

Meal Prep Tip:

Separate portions of broccoli and coconut rice into sealed containers along with
a cooked chicken leg in each container. Chill in the fridge for up to three days
or freeze for up to three months. If eating from frozen, defrost in the fridge
overnight. To reheat from chilled, heat in the microwave for two minutes on high.
Top with the garnishes (stored separately) and enjoy!

Want to Create a Recipe From This Book?!

You can find where to purchase Mimi’s cookbook here and start whipping up easy yet delicious recipes for yourself and the family.

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.

Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Mimi’s recipes!

Checklist of Essential Equipment for Every Kitchen

Whether you are completely new to setting up a kitchen, or a ‘seasoned’ pro, we wanted to provide you with our own useful tips and tricks about essential kitchen equipment and the importance of these.

Keeping your kitchen stocked up with the proper tools is important and is the very first step in creating culinary masterpieces! Having the right tools will not only make the activity in cooking easier, but it will make entire cooking process more enjoyable! It’s known to many within the industry that those who wish to be best cook, having the appropriate cooking equipment is crucial to cooking success and minimal frustration.

Within this article, we first dive into the topics of high-quality knives, particularly exploring the importance of the ‘Chef’s Knife’. We also briefly touch upon our recent collaboration with Allday Knives, where we designed a set of 3 knives within the kit to allow you to perform all your culinary desires easily and effectively.

We then take a look at reliable cutting tools, from sharpeners, cutting boards and other time-saving paraphernalia that have been released throughout the years, including mandolins and peelers!

Once researching the cutting tools, we go into detail on the right preparation, mixing and measuring tools, including the basic tool you need to get ready, such as measuring cups and the humble mixing bowl.

After you have this equipment checked off your list, you can look into the different types of cookware and bakeware required to cook your cuisines to perfection!

And last but by no means least, we end things on the importance on safety equipment. A commercial kitchen must always be kitted with safety tools of fire extinguishers and smoke detectors – we want you to create beautiful dishes, but in a safe and productive way please!

High-quality knives

First things first, we want to explore the most essential knives for you to have in your kitchen.

Brendan McDermott, a chef-instructor and knife skills expert at New York’s Institute of Culinary Education proclaims that equipping yourself with the proper knives is key! It’s within this statement that tells us that knives are the basic building blocks for good cooking.

However, it’s important to note that you do not need to splash out on the most expensive knife set… it’s about knowing what knives perform the best tasks carried out within your kitchen in an effective and correct way. Of course, there is always a knife for every budget, but as long as you have a good one, you can influence your culinary performance through this with only a handful of knife types, in which we will be showing you the three most essential knives to have within your set.

The Chef’s Knife

Food and Wine consider this knife as the ‘workhorse’ of any kitchen due to the wide range of tasks it can perform, from delicately slicing vegetables to butchering different cuts of meat.

The blade on this knife ranges from 8-10” in which is curved to allow rocking motion when cutting. The Japanese version of this knife is called ‘Santoku’, in which is slightly different in being 6-7” with a straight ledge to allow short, downward strokes. This knife allows cutting to be controlled and maintain powerful strokes. With a sharp blade that yields a clean, even cut, the possibilities are endless when using this specific knife, which is why it is favoured as one of the ‘must-haves’ within the culinary industry.

The Bread Knife

This knife is also known as a ‘serrated’ knife, in which has a scalloped edge, resembling a saw! Eater states that this knife is your go-to for cutting through anything with a hard edge and a softer interior. As reference in the name for this knife, it’s great for cutting a delicious loaf of bread, but they are efficient in also slicing cakes due to their long blades cutting the slices evenly. It’s important when choosing a bread knife that the blade is long, typically between 7-10”. The long blade can ensure your cutting is precise with minimal effort required, when the rocking motion of back and forth is of ease.

The Paring Knife

F.N Sharp describes this knife as the ‘baby’ of the family of the knives set, being small but yet still powerful! This knife is perfect for detailed and delicate cutting that requires control, such as cutting strawberries or slicing a clove of delicious garlic. Although you could do this with a Chef’s knife, using a paring knife with allow more ‘dainty’ ingredients to be cut in an efficient way.

You need to keep a look out for the grip on this knife, where your hand needs to feel comfortable when using the knife in the air.

In light of this, we are delighted to announce our recent collaboration with Allday Goods.

Allday Goods was founded by Hugo Worsley, a London-based chef turned knife maker whose mission was to help solve the global plastic problem. From this, Allday has created a range of colourful knives, where the handles are crafted from the waste materials of plastic and the blades made from recycled steel from Sheffield.

We have created three essential knives where the handles are made from our recycled tub lids: A Santoku knife (Chef’s knife), Bread Knife and Paring Knife. If you are interested in receiving one of these sets, you can enter our giveaway to receive a limited edition set!

Reliable Cutting Tools

Quality kitchen cutting tools are necessary for even the most basic food prep and cooking tasks, so it’s highly important to invest in the correct cutting tools that will allow you to perform your tasks within the kitchen.

Cutting board

Using a cutting board will not only provide protection for your countertops from the knife, but it also makes the process of cutting safer for you as it prevents the knife from slipping.

Many people like to purchase a wooden chopping board due it’s solid and sturdy function in which allows the board to be great for bread and meat carving. However, the setback is that wooden board absorb odours and can be easily stained in comparison to a plastic board.

A plastic chopping board can be less aesthetically pleasing in contrast to a wooden board; however, they are more hygienic. They do not absorb juices like wood and can easily withstand washing and sanitising. In most kitchens, plastic boards are also colour coded to match what is being cut, for example, a red board means raw meat and a blue board means raw fish etc.

Mandolins

Mandolins are used to slice ingredients very quickly and in uniformity. They allow you to slice at a much quicker pace in comparison to a knife. Great British Chefs states that mandolin’s can be used to prepare many firm vegetables, including potato slicing for a delectable dauphinoise dish. You can even use a mandolin to thinly slice the beetroot and apple within a salad.

Kitchen Scissors

Having a good pair of kitchen scissors is a great addition to have within your equipment and makes tasks easier to perform! With super sharp blades and a sturdy handle, you can cut joints of meat such as chicken thighs off of the bone! You can also use scissors to cut slices from a pizza, and trim the top crusts of a pie off.

Peeler

Ever tried to peel a potato with a paring knife? It can be quite difficult, time-consuming and at times dangerous! A hand-held fixed blade can remove the skin from fruit and vegetables at a much quicker (and safer!) pace in comparison to a knife. Not only this, if using a knife to peel, you are more likely to waste the fruit of veg that you are trying to peel. A Peeler on the other hand will cut even and thinly sliced peelings, making the best use of the ingredient. You can either have a peeler in a Y-shape or straight ended, the shape really is down to your personal preference.

Knife Sharpener

As we know, knives are one of the most important and commonly used items in your kitchen kit, so it makes sense that you need a good sharpener to ensure your knives do not get blunt!  It’s believed that some professionals will even sharpen their knives daily, as a dull, unsharpened knife is not only ineffective, but also not safe to use. Most chefs recommend using a rod-shaped steel sharpener, but a good option for household kitchens is an abrasive hand-held block sharpener due to it being so easy to use.

Preparation, Mixing and Measuring Tools.

Kitchen prep, mixing and measuring tools are essential to get the precise blend of ingredients for the dish you are making. You may find that your recipe didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to, simply because of the inaccurate ingredients being added. Dishes, particularly baked goods, need measured ingredients to ensure a balanced bake.

Dry Measuring Cups

The purpose of dry measuring cups is to weigh ingredients such as flour, sugar, spice in either plastic or stainless-steel cups. The cups come in the following sizes: ¼, 1/3, ½ and 1 cup. You need to scoop with cup with the ingredient and then remove the excess with a flat utensil such as a knife.

Liquid Measuring Cups

Did you know there is a difference in measurement between liquid and solid ingredients? That is why you should have a liquid measuring cup within your kitchen equipment to ensure you are measuring the correct amount of liquid for your recipe. You will find liquid measuring cups come in clear glass or plastic so that it is easy to check the level of liquid you have with the measuring lines on the outer. The measure ranges from usually 50ml – 1 ½ Litres.

Measuring Spoons

As discussed, most baked recipes require precise measurements which is why measuring spoons are used to ensure the accurate amount of ingredients is being added in. Measuring spoons are great for gaining the correct measures for smaller ingredients, including spices, salt, and essences. Measuring spoons come in a range of sizes from ¼ teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, ½ tablespoon and 1 tablespoon.

Mixing Bowls

Mixing bowls are one of the most common and useful equipment’s used within a kitchen. Not only are the effective in mixing your dry/wet ingredients, but they are great for working doughs in, mixing salads etc. Mixing bowls come in many different materials including plastic and stainless steel. Most chefs prefer stainless steel as these are rust-resistant and dishwasher-safe.

Wooden Spoon

Although it sounds generic, a wooden spoon is one of the best utensils to have within your kitchen equipment. Not only are they useful for mixing, but they are gentle and won’t scratch the bottoms of your pots and pans. Wooden spoons also do not conduct heat; therefore, you won’t burn yourself when mixing a hot mixture.

Cookware and Bakeware

Whether you are new to building your kitchen equipment or already a pro, it’s key to understand the essential cookware and bakeware required to perform your culinary tasks to an effective level.

A Non-Stick Frying Pan

You should invest in a non-stick frying pan as it gives you the confidence to cook as high temperatures knowing that your food will not get stuck to the pan’s surface. Whether you’re frying a simple egg or whipping up some pancakes, you can cook your dishes on a naturally smooth surface for crisp, tasty results without the use of too much oil/butter.

Saucepan

You can’t complete your essential list of cookware equipment without a saucepan! Because a saucepan is deep, it makes the perfect tool for heating liquids to your preferred temperature. Keep a look out for a saucepan that’s walls are as thick as the base so that heat is evenly distributed throughout the apparatus, causing even cooking. If you are heating up soup, we recommend a small pan, whereas you would required a large saucepan with a lid when cooking a pasta-sauce dish.

Wok

Did you know the word ‘wok’ literally translates to ‘cooking pot’ in Cantonese? The traditional cooking apparatus has a rounded bottom in which allows both liquid and heat to be focused in one spot, maximising the cooking of your ingredients. The high, sloping walls also help retain the heat, allow for a fast-cooking time in comparison to your ordinary frying pan. You can use a Wok for making stir fries because the height of the walls make it ideal for retaining food whilst stirring and tossing. Because the sides provide a natural gradient in heat, you can also move ingredients near the sloping sides to avoid them being scotched from the heat.

Baking Sheets

A baking sheet, which is also known as a sheet pan, is one of the most versatile and important bakeware equipment you can own. In a rectangle shape, baking sheets have a raised edges to prevent liquids and loose ingredients from escaping when you are tossing them in the oven. Small-sized baking sheets are perfect for baked treats, including cookies and shortbreads. You can use larger baking sheets for roasted chicken or delicious roast potatoes.

Don’t Forget Kitchen Safety Equipment!

Although a kitchen is one of the most exciting and creative environments to work in, it can also be dangerous! Here are a few safety apparatuses that should be present in any commercial kitchen:

• Smoke Detectors – Around half of home fires are caused by cooking accidents. You need to prevent this with installing a working smoke alarm within your kitchen and every level of your home. A 10-year sealed battery smoke alarm is the best options due as you do not have to change it over as often as lower battery ones.

• Fire extinguishers – Dishwasher Hero states that Class K Extinguishers are used in commercial kitchens. These contain Potassium Acetate and Potassium Citrate, in which the blend is effective in putting out fires made from cooking oils.
• First aid kits – You should invest in a first aid kid that offers a wide selection of items for injuries which can be caused in the kitchen, including burns, scalds, and abrasions from knives.
• Oven mitts – These can prevent burns when you are handling hot items from the oven, such as baking trays.
• Aprons – You should invest in a good quality apron to allow that extra barrier between your body and substances that can cause harm to naked skin, including hot grease and oil spurts.

You can purchase your very own Maldon Salt Apron to wear in your kitchen today!

You’re all ‘kitted’ up!

This article explored the essential kitchen equipment you need to perform your everyday tasks, whether you are a pro chef or a keen home-cook, everyone deserves the most necessary and effective equipment to create culinary masterpieces.

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt stocked up in your kitchen as well! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.

Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your culinary masterpieces.

It’s celebration of British Sandwich Week, we are excited to review our next author within our collaboration series with Penguin Books…Jack Sturgess!

Jack Sturgess is a professional chef who turned into a masterful bread maker on a mission to give everyone the knowledge they need to make their own delicious bread from the comfort of their home. As a keen demonstrator and educator to demystify bread making, Jack is seen on Channel 4 as a regular fixture on Sunday Brunch.

It is with this passion that allowed Jack to release his debut cookbook: Bake With Jack – Bread Every Day. Jack realised that most breads, including the ‘fancy‘ ones you see in the bakeries, are actually easy to follow and do not require the hard work that you’d think would be required. With this realisation, his newly released cookbook shares all of the tips and tricks you need to master 30 bread recipes, including: Sandwich loaves, Bloomers, Rolls, fruit breads and sweet buns, to even pizza dough!

Jack not only shares how to make these different bread types, but he also explores meal ideas to use up every last crumb! From showstopping sandwiches, meatballs with stale bread, to salads and soups with gloriously crunchy croutons, there is certainly a recipe for everyone to make and love.

Due to Jack’s clear and straightforward instructions, this cookbook is suitable for any reader, whether that be a first-time bread maker or bread enthusiasts wanting to get the most out of their loaf – it’s truly accessible and and enjoyable.

In Conversation with Jack Sturgess

We managed to take Jack out of the kitchen and ask him all things bread related, from understanding why he wanted to start making his own bread to sharing his top tips for people wanting to start breadmaking from scratch!

Jack, you’ve been getting busy in the kitchen baking bread! Tell us, why did you want to start making your own bread?

I’ve always been fascinated by the unknown, the mysterious. In my work as a chef, fresh bread seemed to be a thing that very few made. I felt determined to learn as much as I could and crack it. I was on a mission to make it work and bring fresh bread to customers in whatever environment I worked in at the time, but what really made me fall in love with it was people. When I started teaching cookery and bread making it was like a penny dropped. When I saw joy on the faces of my first students more than ten years ago I realised the true power of homemade bread; the pride and satisfaction, the great sense of achievement that comes in making the effort and reaping the rewards often after a past of failed attempts and frustration. Aside from the fact that homemade bread is head and shoulders over what we can buy in the supermarket in terms of quality (even if it looks a bit dodgy!), that is the real hook for me.

What would be your top tips for people wanting to start making their own bread from scratch?

The first ones an easy one; Pick a single simple recipe from somebody you trust and commit to making it three times. Bread making is a craft to be practiced and each time you do it you’ll be getting better at it. Once you see some progress, however small it may feel at the time, you’ll be hooked, and the world of bread will be your oyster!

And secondly on a more practical theme; resist, with all your strength and power, the burning desire to dust your dough with flour as you are kneading. This is the one most common mistake I see and the source of the majority of failures for beginners. It’s easily done because often “knead on a floured surface” is written into the recipe. But by adding additional flour along the way you’ll will tighten a dough you’ve measured so carefully, leading you to believe its fully kneaded when it’s not. An underworked dough will be weak, won’t rise properly, and that’s how you bake a brick. Resist dusting and instead use a dough scraper to loosen the dough form the table from time to time. It’ll be sticky for a bit, but stay strong, and your bread will thank you for it.

In your opinion, would be the most important ingredient for making bread?

Flour, water, salt and yeast are the big four! The foundation of almost every single bread you can think of really is as simple as those four things. Take one away and it simply won’t work! Everything else is a variation on the same theme, bringing in butter, sugar and milk for sweet bakes for example. Or adding olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, olives, cheese. The possibilities really are infinite, but the big four stay the same, each as important as the next, and in the case of sourdough it’s only three; flour, water and salt! With so few ingredients it means that quality and consistency matters.

Do you have favourite bread type you like to bake?

I believe there is a lesson in every bread, and they all have something to offer us as homebakers. Something we can learn from. Bagels are fun because you boil them before you bake, ciabatta is a lesson in what can be done with a really wet dough, and a focaccia presents us an opportunity to play with flavour, however, the sense of achievement derived from a crispy crust and beautiful burst atop a baguette is unrivalled! And as for doughnuts (for they are bread too!) well I think they speak for themselves. Even the most humble of loaf I make at home for the kids using up odds and ends of flour from the cupboard can be a real triumph. There is so much joy to be found in each and every one that I guess my favourite depends on my mood and what’s going on for me that day. If sourdough this weekend feels like a stretch too far, it won’t be a much fun to make and that will show in the final product. If a baguette fits my schedule, then it will be a pleasure to craft, and a joy to eat.

Your book includes many delicious recipes that use up bread– what would be a great recipe to follow for beginners?

Crumbs and croutons I feel are the underrated stars of the kitchen. A hobby of homemade bread means that odds and ends will be in plentiful supply and with them you can bring so much do a dish. The Proper Caesar Salad with Massive Focaccia Croutons and Crispy Chicken includes rustic chunks of salty focaccia torn, baked until crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle and dressed in amongst the salad bringing a new dimension. And to illustrate the humbling power of the bread crumb, the Leek and Brie Risotto with Crispy Garlic Breadcrumbs is a true lesson in making something delicious out of really not very much at all. A simple leek, a shallot and some rice transformed into a silky and creamy risotto, a slice of melting brie to finish and those garlic bread crumbs fragranced with thyme for sprinkling. (ALWAYS make extra!)

British Sandwich Week kicks off from the 22^nd May, come on, tell us what your favourite sandwich is!

How can I possibly choose! Right now, Fennel Fried Chicken with Garlic sauce, pickled cucumber and fresh dill in a soft sub roll. It’s one I’ve been testing and refining for the all new Bake with Jack online courses. In Bread Every Day there’s a recipe for a Four Cheese Focaccia Toastie which is pretty epic. Made with garlic butter it’s basically the indulgent cousin of a cheesy garlic bread, crunchy Maldon Sea Salt flakes on the top and served with a rich hot tomato sauce for dunking! Yum.

What does a normal, day in the life look like for you Jack?

There’s never really a “normal” day here at Bake with Jack HQ! At the moment I’m doing a lot of filming and recipe testing for YouTube and my online course platform I’m launching soon and in between I am ALWAYS writing. So I normally try to get in pretty early while the building is still quiet, and if I haven’t got a packed day of filming then I’ll get some dough on for a play later (I find if I get it on already, then I’ll have it there to create something out of it later on!) Then I’ll get a good cup of coffee, put my phone in a plastic box and hide it and get to work on whatever my creative project is at the time whether it’s writing scripts, setting up cameras, writing this! Sometimes I’ll walk around the studio talking about bread as if there are people here with me for a while, creating conversation with nobody around some script notes or whatever, that’s where I really discover the lessons I want to get across. My neighbours must think I’m crazy.

Lunch time is always fun. Normally consisting of “whatever is kicking around” it’s an exercise in making something out of nothing, unless of course I am testing a fried chicken sandwich in which case I’m all set.
Thinking time is underrated in the working day I find, and is something I am getting used to. In a professional kitchen there’s no thinking time it’s all about doing; go go go! But I’ve learned just how precious it is to take some time to absorb what I’m doing and think about the next bit, and though at times it can feel like a waste of time it really isn’t. I try to move fast in whatever I do, it’s in my nature, starting with small tasks to get the momentum, and pausing for thought every once in a while.

And that dough I made earlier? Now that I have it, I HAVE to create something with it, so I will. Combining cupboard ingredients or whatever I’ve got to see what I can come up with at the time. It’s not always a success of course but that’s all part of the game.

Name 3 things in the kitchen you can’t live without!

A dough scraper is essential for bread making and I use if for everything; cutting dough, scraping from the table, releasing from the bowl, cleaning up, lifting dough, and most importantly kneading WITHOUT additional flour on the table, a must for bread success.

After you’ve made your own bread it’s a real shame to tear it up or squash it flat with a bad knife, so for me the next thing it a decent bread knife and chopping board. You’ll want to treat your homemade bread with as much care as possibly, cutting it nicely and using up every single crumb after all your efforts.

Would it be too on the nose to talk about salt here? Salt turns on our tastebuds to flavour! Without it our bread tastes like cardboard and most other things are really bland. It’s the difference between “er, yum…” and “WOW this is DELISH!” And when I am I’m talking about salt I mean the good stuff, not that trash in a shaker. Good, clean, honest salt that makes the flavour sing.

Great British Ham Hock Sandwich with Pickled Cauliflower & Mustard Mayo

Some things within the food world will never age, and ham hock is one of those! Jack has made a HUGE sandwich made with a whole Cheese Bread (Page 133 in the cookbook), which is sprinkled with peppery watercress, mustard mayonnaise and cauliflower. Ham hock is cheap to buy from the butcher, whether it is already cooked or you need to self slow-cook it first, the flavour from this dish is simply delectable and you’ll certainly be leaving no crumbs!

How to Make the Sandwich…

Serves: 2 very hungry people, or 4 as part of a picnic

Ingredients:

• 1 Cheddar Cheese Bread Loaf (Page 133)
• A handful of watercress, roughly 60g

For the cauliflower:

• 1 cauliflower, around 150g when sliced
• 80ml white wine vinegar
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• A pinch of Maldon Salt

For the ham hock:

• 1 ham hock, weighing around 1.4kg
• 2 celery sticks, halved
• 1 medium carrot, halved lengthways
• 1 small white onion, halved
• 3 garlic cloves, halved
• A few fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs
• 1 small bay leaf
• 3 -4 black peppercorns
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

For the mustard mayo:

• 100g mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
• A pinch of Maldon Salt

Method – Pickling the cauliflower:

1. Remove the leaves and end of the stalk from your cauliflower. Cut your cauliflower lengthways down the middle into 2 halves, and put one half back in the fridge for the next time. Slice the remaining half from the root to the edge into thin slices – I find this is the best way to get whole intact slices, but don’t stress too much about it.
2. For the pickling liquid, mix the other ingredients together in a small bowl.
3. Put the cauliflower into a reusable freezer bag, pour over the liquid and do your best to squeeze out as much air as you can. Seal the bag and gently shake it, squeeze it and scrunch it to get all the cauliflower into some of the liquid.
4. Place the bag in a bowl or plastic container in case of any leaks and refrigerate overnight.

Method – Cooking the ham hock:

1. Wash your ham hock well or soak it overnight (see above). Place it in a large saucepan with all the other ingredients except the thyme and cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil and skim the foam from the surface, then continue boiling for 2–4 hours, depending on the size of your ham hock – mine was LARGE and took the full 4 hours.
2. You’ll know when it is done because you’ll EASILY be able to slide the 2 bones out of the middle with a pair of tongs.
3. Ideally, you would leave your ham hock to cool completely in the cooking liquid before removing, but this can take AGES, so allowing it an hour or 2 before removing it is a nice gesture towards keeping the meat moist when it does come out. Peel off and discard the skin, then work your way through separating the meat from the sinew and dodgy bits.
4. Shred some of the ham with a fork, keep some chunky and put it all into a mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid, sprinkle over the thyme and toss it all together.
5. Any leftover ham can be kept covered with the cooking liquid in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4–5 days. The liquid will turn to jelly and keep the ham juicy, plus the jelly is wicked delicious if you are into that.

Building the sandwich:

1. If you need to bring the fresh ’n’ crispy quality back to your cheese bread loaf, preheat your oven to 180°C fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and warm it through for 10–12 minutes.

10. Mix all the mustard mayo ingredients together in a bowl.
11. Cut the loaf in half horizontally and spread the cut sides generously with the mustard mayo.
12. Lay a bed of watercress on the bottom half, followed by a layer of drained cauliflower. Next pile on the ham hock and finally top with a little more cauliflower and watercress. Replace the sandwich lid.
13. Slice, share (if you want) and enjoy!

Do You Want to Create a Recipe From This Book?

You can find where to purchase Jack’s cookbook here and start creating a bountiful of easy yet deliciously good recipes for yourself and your family!

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.

Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Jack’s recipes!