Article Type: Blog

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!

Honest Toil is a small project run by Tom and Juli, who are based in the south of Kyparissia, which is on the west coast of Peloponnese in Greece. The reason we love Honest Toil is because their oil is completely unblended and unfiltered, made purely from cold-pressing raw Koroneiki olives which results in a deliciously vibrant olive oil.

As the olive oil is unfiltered, it contains the sediment from both the olive’s skin and pips, leading to the brand’s iconic green opaqueness with a gorgeously thick texture!

Honest Toil’s whole ethos is based upon direct cooperation with small-scale farmers and working with small businesses, from the delivery to the distribution of their oil.

The Process

Being a small-batch production, Tom and his family look after four small olive groves, harvesting them with the support of local farmers, family and friends every year.

They harvest the olives with traditional, low-impact methods using sticks with ‘propeller-like’ endings to remove the olives gently from the branches. The olives are then gathered into sacks and taken to the local village to be pressed.

Everything is pressed the same day it’s picked, allowing the oil to have an acidity between 0.2 – 0.3% – which is really impressive! The level of acidity in an oil is an indicator of how many beneficial qualities are left within the product. Therefore, the lower the acidity in an oil, the lower the oxidation…which means the oil contains a higher nutritional quality!

As both Tom and Juli have direct control over the process, they always have fresh olive oil available by January each year to purchase!

Supporting and Sustainability

Due to the team being so hands-on, sustainability is one the main cores for the business. For example, the olives are from small family farms, which are then hand-harvested using traditional methods that have been passed down for generations. This allows them to not cause any stress to the olive trees whilst also not disrupting the local wildlife to the area.

Additionally, the olives are pressed in family-owned village presses, where the oil is then packed locally. This way, the team can guarantee an income for the locals, from olive picking to the pressing of the oil, supporting the area economically.

Honest Toil like to sell their oil in bulk or in refillable containers to ensure there is less waste as possible. They also deliver in Budapest and Berlin by cargo bikes, which is believed to save around 5 tons of carbon emissions when replacing a diesel vehicle!

World Earth Day and Honest Toil

It is through actions like this in which supports World Earth Day. Celebrated on the 22nd April each year, this annual event is to demonstrate the support for environmental protection.

With Honest Toil, it was their aim from the very beginning to ensure that there is small carbon footprint, from the making of the oil to ending up on your kitchen table.

They encourage people to reuse their bottles, whilst prompting them to purchase the oil in either 3l or 5l cans – which significantly reduces the amount of packaging being used.

Within the UK, they are also supplying packaging free/zero waste shops since 2012. From this movement, they were able to team up with SESI Refill to create a circular refill system in which SESI deliver, collect and clear out 20l tubs and refilled with Honest Toil’s extra virgin olive oil.

Q&A with Honest Toil

We were lucky enough to sit down with Tom and discuss all things olive oil, from understanding the inspiration behind the brand, to learning how the project connects with the locals and families within the area.

Tom, we absolutely adore your extra virgin olive oil! Tell us, where did the inspiration to create your own extra virgin olive oil come from?

It was pure serendipity. We really never set out to start another olive oil ‘brand’ or even had any intention of starting a business… but after travelling a lot around the Peloponnese and taking part in olive picking here and there, it seemed quite obvious to share the fruits of our toil with friends and family further afield! We ended up moving to the Peloponnese 14 years ago and happened upon a little olive grove. When harvest time rolled around, we asked for guidance from our neighbours in the village. I still remember the sensation of tasting our own cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil for the first time. We’ve been chasing that same flavour ever since, it became that characteristic “Honest Toil” taste that people love so much: fresh and green with a grassy, peppery bite.

The colour is so vivid and bright! How is Honest Toil different to other olive oils?

Honest Toil is completely unadulterated. Unlike many mass-produced oils, it isn’t mixed with the previous year’s harvest or olive oils from other varieties or areas. It’s a homage to the koroneiki olive as well as the traditional growing and harvesting practices of the Western Peloponnese… it’s so far from the industrial methods of a lot of olive growing regions as everything is picked by hand. The olives are pressed the same day to preserve their freshness. During the pressing process, the temperature is strictly kept under 27 degrees so all the necessities for the much-coveted high Polyphenol content! The end result is a green, vivid, thick liquid that we don’t put through any further chemical or physical filters: this means that some residue of the olive’s skin and pips can be found in the final product, accounting for the characteristic unfiltered texture of Honest Toil… it’s really something special.

In the harvesting process, connecting with the locals and families is very important to you, why is this?

In the beginning, the oil from our groves was enough for Honest Toil, but as more people were wooed by the unique flavour we brought to the table, we realised that our production was not going to be sufficient. After some deliberation, instead of taking a loan to buy more land and expanding, we decided to cooperate directly with other local producers who already grow the same koroneiki variety and harvest their trees with the same traditional methods. This way, we guarantee an income for our neighbours, support local livelihoods, and make sure that the high-quality olive oil from these groves ends up directly in your kitchen instead of being bought up at rock bottom prices and mixed in with inferior oils by large-scale corporations.

It’s World Earth Day on April 22^nd, are there any ways in which you are helping the planet?

We believe in locality, seasonality, and small-scale cooperation. Our work is so determined by the natural yearly cycle of the olive tree. This involves an element of unpredictability as to when we can actually pack the fresh harvest oil, but it also means we can respect the land, the weather, and the crop instead of working to unnatural schedules set by market demand.

In terms of locality, Honest Toil comes from a very specific small area (the villages around Kyparissia), so unlike its mass-produced counterparts, it never travels thousands of miles to get blended in with oils from elsewhere, eventually losing its provenance and personality.

We’re a really small-scale operation, not only in terms of locality, but also in terms of the scale of our business. This way we can have full control over the whole process from tree to table, and we are fully accountable for the quality as well as the sustainability of our product.

You must be busy running this project! What does a normal day in the life look like for you?

It depends on whether you catch us during the harvest season (October-December) or the rest of the year. Harvest season is always super busy for us, as it involves both aspects of Honest Toil: you might find me stuck in front of a laptop doing calculations or customs declarations, but it’s just as likely that I’ll be out in the field in muddy wellies picking olives, or down the village press glugging fresh oil with press masters Alexander and Sakis. The rest of the year is more chilled out and we are freer to travel around as olive trees are not that labour-intensive in the spring and summer. We travel a lot with the oil, connecting the Peloponnese with Budapest, where Juli is from, and England, where I’m from, as well as Berlin, where we also sell the oil.

What is your favourite dish to make using Honest Toil?

It has to be the Greek vegetarian dish called briam (μπριάμ), which is basically a bunch of the best Greek summer vegetables (aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, potatoes, onions) soaked in loads of extra virgin olive oil, fresh tomato sauce, oregano and sea salt, slow-roasted in the oven with heaps of feta cheese on top, served with home-made bread. An ultimate people-pleaser! My Dad likes to make it for us every time we come back to Greece after a long time abroad; it really is the taste of home.

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

I’m not gonna mention the obvious extra virgin olive oil and good quality sea salt 😉 so it has to be: a big bunch of dried oregano from the λαΐκή (local market), feta cheese, and fresh tomatoes in the summer or sun-dried tomatoes in the winter.

A ‘delicious’ ending to the story…

You must be hungry! We created a gorgeous panzanella salad using Honest Toil’s olive oil, where we generously grilled artichokes to go on top with a gorgeous salsa verde to use as a dressing.

Looking to purchase a bottle of Honest Toil’s finest extra virgin olive oil? Click here to be directed to their main shop and add a bottle to your cart!

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for this recipe! 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 culinary creations.

Easter is the time where we come together with friends and family to celebrate the joys of new life and opportunity. It is also a very important festival for Christians, as they begin their celebrations of Jesus’ miracle of death and resurrection.

Like Christmas Day, Easter is also associated with an abundance of delicious, fresh tasting foods and of course showstopping desserts! This article will explore how to create the perfect Easter Lunch for your guests this year and understand the reason behind them.

We kickstart the menu with starter ideas, including a brightly coloured Radicchio Salad and Chargrilled Asparagus with Burrata…perfect light-bites, but certainly rich in flavour!

We then take centre stage as we delve into a succulent, Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder, accompanied with Hasselback Potatoes. For a vegetarian option, we also showcase our beautifully crispy Vegetable Galette, topped with courgette, asparagus and fresh spring peas.

Ending things on a ‘sweeter’ note, we share our decadent Dark Chocolate Torte, topped with Maldon Salt. A luxurious recipe for Coloured Meringue Kisses is also explored within the article, which makes a perfect gift for a loved one this Easter.

But first and foremost, let’s take a look at the classic recipe of them all…the humble Hot Cross Bun!

Afternoon Snack, Classic Hot Cross Buns

Not only are hot cross buns rich in flavour, but they also contain a rich history! According to Countryfile, a 14th-century monk know to many as Thomas Rocliffe is credited for making the very first hot cross bun. Although made in it’s simplest form, the baked, sweet bread would have contained the traditional raisins as the main filling.

Hot cross buns are traditionally enjoyed over the Easter holidays due to the religious connotations that the bun holds within itself. The piped dough cross symbolises the crucifix in which Christ died upon. The mixed spices and fruits are used to represent the spices that would have been used to embalm Christ after death.

If you enjoy the traditional things in life, we make the ultimate, classic hot cross bun recipe that is easy to follow with great tasting results. However, if you want to take on the classic with a twist, we offer additional flavours to our buns, including a delicious Salted Caramel Hot Cross Bun with Dark Chocolate. Alternatively, if you want to purely satisfy your chocolate cravings, we also offer a rich, Chocolate Hot Cross Bun recipe that can be enjoyed with a warm drink.

Easter Lunch Starter Recipes

Let’s kickoff your Easter Sunday Lunch with fresh tasting, springtime starters! Seasonal ‘light-bites’ are the perfect way of introducing a season of growth, green and goodness to your dinner guests.

Radicchio Salad

An italian delicacy, the radicchio salad is comprised of the red/burgundy vegetable in which belongs to the chicory family, tracing back to the late 1500s. It is believed to have originated in the Veneto region of northern Italy, in the town of Chioggio.

Radicchio’s flavour profile is slightly bitter in taste, which is why we accompany the slicings of apple to add a gentle sweetness to our Radicchio Salad recipe. With a pinch of Maldon Salt, the sweetness is only elevated higher, whilst counteracting the bitterness from the radicchio and rocket. We also add shavings of pecorino and toasted pine nuts to the salad to give a hidden tang of earthiness to the dish.

The dressing can be whipped up in a matter of minutes, with the use of simple ingredients of lemon juice olive oil, walnut oil, cider vinegar and a final pinch of Maldon for that added crunch and fresh intensity…buon appetito!

Chargrilled Asparagus with Burrata and Lemon, Caper and Parsley Oil

The infamous burrata cheese is was invented back in the 1950s, credited to Lorenzo Bianchino, who wanted to look for a way in recycling the leftovers of pasta that spun out of the mozzarella processing, which he combined with fresh cream. He created a ‘basket’ with the spun dough, wrapped securely through the use of a bottleneck technique…creating the glorious burrata that we all know and love today.

Burrata is known as a type of cow’s milk mozzarella. The inside of the cheese is called stracciatella cheese, meaning a mixture of cream and mozzarella cut into small pieces.

With this decadent, soft and creamy cheese – the culinary creations are endless! We’ve paired the cheese with gloriously crisp, chargrilled asparagus’ to give not only an earthy, green bite to the dish, but to add a satisfying crunch. With a gorgeous caper and parsley olive oil dressing, the dish is nearly complete once you add a final pinch of Maldon Salt…a clean, fresh saltiness to elevate the dish.

Easter Lunch Main Recipes

Now that you’ve had a ‘taster’ for Spring, let’s move onto the main events, including a classic lamb dish paired with beautifully crisp hasselback potatoes…simply mouthwatering! If you want to opt in for the vegetarian option, we bake a delicious vegetable galette, packed with fresh, spring greens.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

Ever wondered why we eat lamb on Easter Sunday? It’s not to do with seasonality, as ewes are not due to give birth for at least another 2 weeks after Easter.

It’s symbolic. For Christians, the lamb is the symbolisation of Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross for humanity, as Christ was commonly known for being ‘the lamb of God’. The sacrificial lamb is also mentioned in the Old Testament, when God had asked Abraham to sacrifice his son.

Our succulent, Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder is gently laid within a roasting tin, surrounded by the warming flavours of garlic cloves, sprigs of rosemary and Maldon Salt. You should allow the lamb to cook over a 4-5 hour period, where the lamb should be meltingly soft and tender, pulling away from the bone easily. Be sure to use the delicious lamb juices to make up a gravy to serve alongside the lamb!

Baked Hasselback Potatoes Recipe

The name ‘Hasselback’ comes from a certain restaurant based in Stockholm, Sweden, named Hasselbacken. The recipe for the potatoes was introduced in the 1940s, where the technique of thinly slicing down the middle of the potato not only looks impressive to do, it is remarkably easy to follow!

Our deliciously golden hasselback potatoes are drizzled with plenty of juicy, garlic butter to create a tasty exterior and a fluffy centre when baked. This is the perfect side dish for the slow cooked lamb shoulder as the potatoes can soak up the leftover juices from the meat. With a good sprinkling of Maldon Salt, the potatoes gain that added layer of crunch as you bite into the dish.

Galette Pastry Recipe

Are you struggling to find an alternative to the classic roast lamb? We serve a deliciously flaky galette, packed with spring greens including courgette, asparagus and fresh peas.

Known to have been originally created back in the 11th century, our Spring Vegetable Galette recipe is easy to follow due to the simplicity in it’s method. This is because a galette is not like a pie where a top crust or crimped edges is required, this pastry dish is free-form! They are baked on a baking sheet, where the edges of the galette are simply folded over the centre, gently exposing the delicious fillings of your choice.

Easter Lunch Dessert Recipes

Let’s end your Easter Sunday lunch with a selection of deliciously sweet desserts! Choose from our decadent Dark Chocolate Torte with Maldon Salt or our luxurious Coloured Meringue Kisses to really impress your guests and end the Easter banquet on a ‘sugar’ high!

Dark Chocolate Torte with Maldon Salt

Are you chocolate obsessed? This torte will certainly satisfy your cravings!

The roots of the humble ‘torte’ derives from Latin, meaning ‘flat cake’. Originating in Austria, the torte is known to be highly decadent due to it’s rich filling, usually being chocolate!

Our Dark Chocolate Torte is made with a short and buttery dark chocolate pastry and a creamy ganache filling. The sprinkling of Maldon Salt on top of the cake pairs perfectly with the rich, dark chocolate for a sophisticated dessert.

Coloured Meringue Kisses

Did you know the invention of the meringue was invented in 1720 by a Swiss pastry cook named Gasparini. It is from this remarkable invention that causes people to enjoy meringues as small ‘kisses’.

But why are they called ‘kisses’?

It is believed that Queen Elizabeth I was the first to compare the meringue to a kiss, due to it being sweet and light to the touch.

This is why our Coloured Meringue recipe is in the form of kisses, due to being joyfully light, and sweet to the taste! They are easy to store in an airtight container in room temperature – and they make the perfect little snack, or edible treat to decorate cakes.

The Perfect Eater Sunday Lunch

We hope you enjoyed reading this article on how to create a perfect Easter Sunday lunch for your dinner guests.

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 delicious Easter feasts!

With the winter months finally coming to an end, what better way to ‘warm’ us up than with a new book filled with hearty recipes! Carrying on with series with Penguin Books, we review Nathan Anthony’s second cookbook… Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Air Fryer.

The hugely popular Nathan Anthony has striked again in carrying on the Bored of Lunch series. The Belfast author is a big advocate when it comes to eating healthy and how to become more cost efficient when cooking – which is why he released his first cookbook on the Healthy Slow Cooker, to explore these factors and showcase to readers just how easy it is to create great-tasting recipes from the use of a single kitchen appliance! You can read our review on the Healthy Slow Cooker book here, where we had the chance of sitting down with Nathan and discussing the inspiration behind the book and the energy efficiency of the appliance.

From the tremendous success of his first book, it makes sense that Nathan now wants to channel his second love, the humble air fryer! From reading our blog post on the benefits of air fryer cooking, you will understand that the appliance is becoming the go-to kitchen gadget for making fuss-free meals that equally taste delicious. Being a lower-energy alternative in your household, air fryers can help you dish up your favourite recipes at a lower cost. With using less oil in your cooking as well, this cookbook is great for readers who are wanting to keep a track on the calories they are consuming.

Whether you are new to using an air fryer or already a pro, this book is perfect in making delectable recipes packed FULL of flavour. The book’s chapters include: Starters and Snacks, Speedy Lunches (perfect for when you are on the go!), Fakeaways, Weekday Dinners and Sweet Treats! With every recipe follows a beautiful picture, where fan-favourite recipes of Honey Chilli Beef, Katsu Curry, and Fish Tacos can be enjoyed!

Sweet Potato & Chorizo Hash

While this is a speedy lunch, this recipe is also perfect for breakfast or brunch! It’s really versatile and you can make it more substantial by adding a poached egg or two on top! Add a slice of toasted sourdough bread to really mop up those mouth-watering juices.

Serves: 3

Calories Per Serving: 502

Ingredients:

• 600g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp oil, low-calorie oil spray
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 150g chorizo, sliced
• 1 tbsp light, or half-fat butter
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
• A pinch of Maldon Salt
• Black pepper
• Fresh dill, to sprinkle

1. In a bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, oil and paprika.
2. Air-fry the potatoes t 190C for 14-15 minutes, and add the chorizo for the last 2-3 minutes.
3. While the chorizo is cooking, put the butter, chilli and garlic in a microwavable bowl and microwave for 1 minute until the butter has melted.
4. Season the yogurt with Maldon Salt and pepper.
5. Serve the hash drizzled with the yogurt, then top with the melted garlic chilli butter and sprinkle with fresh dill on top.

Want To Create a Recipe From This Book?!

You can find where to purchase Nathan’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 Nathan’s recipes!

Homemade Takeaway Ideas with Maldon Salt

Do you feel like you are constantly spending money on takeaways recently? Why don’t you save your pennies and swap your usual for a cheaper, healthier and tastier alternative with our ‘fakeaway’ recipes!

This article will explore the benefits of home-cooking your favourite takeaway dish and how to replicate the perfect, restaurant quality from the comfort of your own kitchen. We even take you around the globe with a series of delicious ‘fakeaway’ recipes we have created; from landing in Southeast Asia with the notorious Pad Thai, travelling to China with delectable Bao Buns, and ending up in the United States with their lip-smackingly good Loaded Fries.

But first, we want find out which type of salt chefs are using when they are cooking our favourite takeaway dishes, and how our beloved Maldon Salt flakes come into play with this and the benefits that follow.

What Salt Do Chefs Use?

Salt is one of the most important components when it comes to cooking as it acts as a natural balance for sweetness and helps to counteract the harsher, bitter flavours within a dish. It also can help intensify the aromas you are wanting to elevate. Not only is it important in cooking, it important for the human body to function, as the human body can’t live without sodium – in which salt contains! This nutrient will allow muscles to contract and relax effectively and conduct nerve impulses. However, please note that you should only in-take small amounts of salt per day, with adults consuming no more than 6g of salt (1tsp) and children (1-3) eating no more than 2g salt.

Because salt is significant in the cooking process, chefs need to ensure that they are using the best quality to serve to their customers…and this is where Maldon Salt comes in!

Maldon Salt Benefits

Many chefs and culinary professionals use Maldon Salt within their cooking due to the pyramid-shaped flakes adding a fresh salinity and perfect finish in texture to their dishes. With a small pinch, you are transported to flavours that have been heightened through the sprinkling of the flakes, with a subtle added crunch as you bite into the food.

Maldon Salt is hand-harvested from the coastal waters through time-honoured techniques and devoted care. It is through this that Maldon is rich in naturally occurring sodium and minerals. As a result, you only need a pinch to accentuate the flavours within your dish, refining your sodium intake. You can find out more about how Maldon Salt is made and where it comes from in our guide – it makes an excellent read!

Due to the family-kept secret in the timing and temperature of the sea salt, Maldon Salt receives a unique flavour profile of being less bitter than other salts within the market, with a fresh, clean intensity. When used as a finishing salt, the structure of the pyramid-flakes allows the flavour to spread across the pallet before gently melting, leaving a glorious end-taste.

When To Use Maldon Salt?

Maldon Salt is completely versatile when it comes to using it on your foods. If it’s being used within the cooking/baking process, simply add a small pinch to allow the sweet flavours of the recipe to become elevated, whilst reducing the bitterness. You can find our recipes which contain Maldon Salt in our Recipes, Tips and Blogs Page…I wouldn’t recommend reading them on an empty stomach!

You can also create extravagant salt crusts with Maldon Salt! Our delicious Salt Baked Sea Bass shows readers how the sea salt flakes are used to create a layer to insulate the food and reduce moisture from escaping…resulting in succulent, juicy dish.

The most prevalent way chefs use Maldon Salt is as a finishing salt. Because of it’s unique structure, when sprinkled over a dish you are not only receiving the fresh, clean taste of the sea salt, but you also experience that added level of crunch, giving a glorious texture to your dishes. An example of this is seen in our delicious warm winter salad, where salt is used to not only heighten the sweetness of the beetroot and apples, but to give a delectable texture as you bite into the dish.

Making Restaurant Quality Food at Home

Whether it be a box or tub of Maldon Salt that you possess, you are now one step closer into creating delicious, restaurant quality food from the comfort of your home!

When you are getting creative in the kitchen, you want to note to yourself that sometimes the simplest of recipes can be the best option. Quality of ingredients will be your best friend in this incidence, where you can rejuvenate a classic dish of roast potatoes to magnificent hasselback potatoes! You just need to test how flavours work and balance together, where with a sprinkle of Maldon Salt, you are already creating that natural equilibrium within the dish.

But the question still stands, why choose homemade instead of takeaway?

The simple answer is, it’s healthier! Studies have found that restaurant meals generally contain high amounts of sodium, fats, and calories in comparison to home-cooked meals. Cooking from home means you are often choosing fresher ingredients and becoming more self-aware of the amount of oil/butter used when you are cooking/baking your foods. Additionally, you are also portion sizing your meals when cooking from home, where in contrast a takeaway restaurant does this for you. As a result, in some circumstances you could be receiving a higher intake of calories than you daily recommend if not accurately checked by the restaurant. Therefore, choosing homemade cooking instead of take-outs will allow you to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Another reason to choose homemade is that it is cost-effective. You are saving money when you are making ingredients for a dish fresh from your home, in which can come to a significantly lower cost for what you would end up purchasing at a takeaway restaurant – where prices are higher to maintain profit margins. The Guardian shared an excellent piece on how cheap you can create components of a dish here, resulting in saving you money and ending up with great tasting foods!

Finally, choosing to cook at home instead of ordering takeaways allows you to connect with food. You’ll tend to gain inspiration and creativity when cooking from home, which is a fantastic way of not only broadening your skill-sets, but provides a level of escapism for yourself. A study from the Frontiers in Psychology revealed that participants who took upon cooking during COVID-19  actually found happiness and relaxation in cooking, causing them to experience more self-reliance within themselves.  

All this food talk has got us hungry for more! Why don’t we explore a few our favourite ‘fakeaway’ recipes in which can be easily cooked from home, and still maintain that delicious, restaurant quality we crave.

Our Favourite Fakeaway Recipes

Below we have listed three of our favourite ‘fakeaway’ dishes that can be easily made at home. With a sprinkle of Maldon Salt on each of these dishes, you’ll not only impress your dinner guest’s with your cookery skills, but the flavour that will be elevated from the pyramid-shaped flakes!

Prawn Pad Thai

This dish is one of the most popular take-out dishes you can order, due to the deliciously good flavour profiles of sour, sweet, salty and umami. Originating from Thailand, the dish can be easily replicated in your home through the use of a wok pan. Our recipe goes into full detail on how to create the classical tasting pad-thai sauce, which pairs beautifully well with the king prawns and folded rice noodles.

Pulled Pork Bao Buns

You’re probably thinking this recipe is hard to make and should just opt for the takeout option instead – but you’re wrong! Bao buns are actually quite easy to make once you follow our recipe in how to make the soft, fluffy bao bun dough. Once you’ve followed this, you can create our delicious pulled pork bao buns, packed with juicy shredded pork shoulder and crunchy veg of radishes, carrot and cucumber.

Loaded Fries with Chorizo and Pickled Jalapeños

Ah yes, the ultimate comfort food…loaded fries! You can easily make these at home through cooking hop bought OR your own homemade chips. Within our recipe, we top the fries with chorizo, spring onion and pickled jalapeños to give that gentle level of heat. For the added level of creaminess, we also use cheese and sour cream, with a final pinch of Maldon Salt to finish this ravishing dish!

Food For Thought…

From this article, we’ve explored the benefits of homemade food in comparison to your go-to takeaway, listing the significant health, money-saving and joy home cooking can bring to you. We also illuminated to readers what salt chefs use in a restaurant setting, in which Maldon Salt is formidable for due to versatility of the pyramid-shaped flakes.

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for ‘fakeaway’ dishes! 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 flakes.

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

Why is chocolate and salt a match made in heaven?

Feeling the love this Valentine’s Day? We’ve been hanging around with Cupid recently, and wanted to share with you all the love story behind adding salt to chocolate and why this combination works so well together.

We first explore the historical similarities and the science behind the salty-sweet fusion, magnifying the benefits it brings when pairing theses two components together.

We then shine the light on our good friends’ Bare Bones Chocolate, looking into their own thoughts as to why they add Maldon Salt to their chocolate bars, including their delicious Dominican 68% Salted Chocolate. We also had the chance to sit down with Lara, who is one of the co-founders of Bare Bones Chocolate, where we got to understand their own thoughts behind sprinkling salt into chocolate and learning their ethos as a micro-batch, bean to bar company.

With our mouths watering for more, we end things on all things dessert, showcasing our favourite, easy-to-follow recipes which are perfect to make for your loved ones on Valentine’s Day.

A very similar history!

Did you know salt and chocolate share a very similar history, dating back thousands of years! Salt was an element that was very difficult to obtain back in the Roman era, which is why it was considered as a form of currency due to the high-value item status it obtained. This is why the word ‘salary‘ comes from, the Latin word ‘salarium‘ which directly translate to ‘salt money‘, due to to powerful, monetary value it possessed from being so difficult to come by.

Similarly, chocolate, or cacao beans, also acquired the same value with the Mesoamerican population. (The southern part of North America which extends to most of Central America, containing the countries of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica). Cacao beans held such a high value that many of the employed population received this as a form of ready cash! Around 1000 B.C the Mayan population used cacao beans as currency, where goods would be priced in units of cacao.

From thousands of years ago to the present day, salt and chocolate are still being combined together, which leads us nicely into the science behind pairing the two elements together – and why it works so well!

It’s a scientific attraction…

Did you know that salt enhances the sweetness of a food and counteracts the bitterness? Researchers at Gizmodo explain how there is a sensor found in the human intestines known as SGLT1, where this specific sensor acts as a transporter with glucose moving into the ‘sweet taste cell’ when sodium is present, triggering the cell to register sweetness. Therefore, when you are adding a pinch of salt to your chocolate, not only are you balancing the flavours of the cacao beans, but the salt is literally acting as a detector, locating the sweeter notes of the chocolate and enhancing them to form a delicious tasting sweet treat!

Additionally, salt is a direct contrast to the sweet, sugary elements in chocolate. Thus, when the sodium ions of salt are first received on the receptors of our tongues, we are being prevented from tasting the harsh bitterness of the cacao beans, opening up to a pallet of more sweet tasting flavours – also known as cross-modal perception.

The benefits of adding sea salt to chocolate

The main benefit in adding sea salt to chocolate is that you are gaining a purer flavour profile. Table salt is mostly iodized and processed to prevent gauter, which results in an artificially-tasting salt. In contrast, Maldon Salt is completely natural in it’s processes of being hand-harvested. This results in a salt which contains traces of minerals to give a more natural, fresh tasting flavour when added to chocolate.

Furthermore, adding sea salt to chocolate also enhances the texture. Maldon’s unique pyramid-shaped flakes allow the texture to become slightly crunchy, transforming your standard, flat chocolate bar to a treat to now having added layers of both complex flavours and texture.

Lastly, you only require a small amount of sea salt in comparison to using an excessive amount of table salt to chocolate. This is because the sea salt crystals tend to be larger in size, diffusing more slowly into the chocolate and making the flavour last longer. As a result you are lowering excessive sodium intake with substituting your standard table salt with Maldon Salt, where a pinch can make a whole difference to chocolate!

Now that we understand the benefits of combining sea salt with chocolate, we’re going to head over to our good friend’s Bare Bones Chocolate who use Maldon Salt within some of their delicious chocolate bars…

Bare Bones Chocolate and Maldon Salt

Bare Bones Chocolate is a micro-batch, bean to bar chocolate company situated in the bustling city of Glasgow, Scotland. The co-founders are Lara & Cameron, who are well and truly experts when it comes to all things chocolate, quality and sustainability.

With a remarkable ethos of chocolate needing to be pure, delicious and ethical, Bare Bones Chocolate is a company which honours their cacao farmers and cherishes their process from start to finish…resulting in glorious tasting chocolate from the quality and nurture of the cacao beans.

Being pioneers for both quality and flavour, Bare Bones Chocolate have created a bundle of delectable chocolate bars and hot chocolate to choose from, including their Dominican 68% Salted Chocolate Bar. Maldon Salt is added to the dark chocolate which is grounded smooth for 24 hours to elevate the natural sweetness of the cacao beans. Not only this, but the salt is also used to give that flavour combination we all know and love, sweet-and-salty! Mixed to perfection, the chocolate bar contains flavour notes of salted caramel and roasted hazelnuts to give a gentle warmth.

In conversation with Bare Bones Chocolate…

We caught up with Lara and Cameron and took a look into the story of how they were able to transform the humble cacao bean to their brand Bare Bones.

Here’s their thoughts on why they add salt to their chocolate bars.

Happy Valentine’s Day Bare Bones Chocolate! We wanted to know what inspired you to create your own bean to bar chocolate company?

Myself and Cam have always loved specialty foods, coffee and handcrafted goods. We were so inspired by small food businesses in London when I lived there and always dreamt of having our own business one day where we made something we were really proud of. We fell in love with bean to bar chocolate and obsessively began researching and making our own chocolate at home. We were hooked! Cam is an engineer which is perfect for chocolate making – it’s all process, engineering and fixing broken machines! Our skill sets compliment each other so well, which I think makes us a great wee team.

Can you share with us the story of how you transform cacao beans into chocolate bars?

Making chocolate from scratch is a magical (but extremely scientific) process. We source cacao from Central America and Madagascar from small co-operatives of farmers. Just like wine, cacao tastes different from different origins depending on the beans genetics, the terroir and how it has been fermented and processed. As a chocolate maker, it’s our job to highlight the incredible work the farmer has already done and retain as much of those unique, natural flavours as possible. Amazing chocolate starts with amazing farmers!

Once the beans arrive at our workshop, we sort them for defects or any cracks that might affect the roasting process and the flavour. We roast the beans in a modified coffee roaster (other chocolate makers roast in ovens) which gives us an incomparable level of control and precision to bring out the best of each bean!

The shells are removed from the beans through a process called winnowing, leaving us with the cacao nib which is what we use to make chocolate. The nibs are crushed by a melanger, which is like a giant mortar & pestle, to squeeze out the natural cocoa butter from the nibs and to make the chocolate fluid and smooth. At this stage we are also removing acidity (as chocolate is a fruit and can be very acidic!) through the introduction of air and the friction of the machine’s wheels. We add raw unrefined cane sugar, which tastes SO good as it has the natural molasses intact, and stone-grind it with the nibs.

Once it’s smooth and tasting incredible, we age the chocolate to mellow/or intensify the flavour (depending on what suits the origin). After ageing, we temper the chocolate into bars and blocks to shave for hot chocolate. Tempering aligns the crystal structure of the chocolate creating a crisp snap and glossy finish.

We hand-wrap all of our bars in compostable paper and package in beautiful colourful boxes made from recycled paper coffee cups! Each stage is so handcrafted… without ageing, it takes a week to make a bar of chocolate!

In your own opinion, why do you think chocolate and salt are often paired together?

Salt brings out the natural sweetness of the cacao. For our 68% Dominican Salted chocolate, we stone-grind Maldon through the batch for 72 hours. The salt transforms the cacao’s flavour profile, highlighting tones of salted caramel and hazelnut. It wouldn’t be the same without Maldon!

It’s no secret that we are BIG fans of your chocolate bars! Can you tell us why you use Maldon salt flakes within a few of your bars?

Maldon is the only salt for us! Growing up my Mum and I loved watching Nigella’s cooking shows. Proudly sitting on Nigella’s countertop with its foiled lettering was a Maldon Salt box. We paused the TV, eager to see what the brand was and found it in a local deli! So we have Nigella to thank for our great love of Maldon.

There are so many delicious chocolates that you have created! Come on, you must have a favourite flavour?

My favourite has to be the salted chocolate! It’s so moreish as it is the perfect balance of sweet and salty. It works incredibly well as a hot chocolate too, as the caramel tones really shine through the milk. I couldn’t live without it!

We see that sustainability and origins of your ingredients plays a big part in your company. Are you able to share some more light into this?

Sustainability is so important to us – from the farmers and beans that we work with, to the packaging we use, the resources in the factory and our lifestyle too! We believe it is a businesses responsibility to make sure they are creating as little waste as possible and be conscious of the products they are making and their impact to the planet.

Being a single origin chocolate maker means we are highlighting the beauty and differences of each origin. We work with small co-operatives of organic farms who are nourishing the land and its natural   eco-system instead of depleting it.

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

1. Soy sauce
2. Spatulas
3. A really good non-stick pan. (And of course, Maldon).

Hungry for some chocolate?! Head over to Bare Bones Chocolate’s online store to purchase your very own sweet treat now!

Recipes to make for Valentine’s Day

Do you need some inspiration in what sweet treats to bake for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day? We’ve got you covered! We’ve shared three sweet-based recipes in which marriage the harmonious pairing of chocolate and Maldon Salt to impress your friends and family.

Dark Chocolate Torte with Maldon Salt

Talk about a show-stopping dessert! This recipe is made with a dark chocolate short pastry, filled with a creamy, rich ganache. Maldon Salt is added on the top of the torte to reduce the bitter notes of the rich, dark chocolate and illuminate the sweeter accents.

Remember to add a pinch of Maldon to the pastry as well – it not only adds a subtle flavour element, but salt actually helps in strengthening the dough, creating a stable pastry crust for the creamy ganache to be poured into.

Chocolate Cake

This decadent recipe is filled with a bundle of delicious, chocolate flavours; including dark, milk and white! Make sure to sprinkle a generous pinch of Maldon Salt on the batter before baking to elevate the sweetness of the chocolate and counteract the bitterness from the cocoa powder.

Chocolate & Amaretto Truffles

This truffle recipe is so easy to make and packs a punch full of flavour! Dark chocolate is paired with amaretto to give a warming, nutty flavour to the truffle balls. A generous sprinkling of Maldon Salt is definitely required for this recipe to bring out the sweetness from the dark chocolate, whilst also adding a gentle crunch from the pyramid-shaped flakes to give texture…delicious!

Happily Ever After…

To conclude, within this article we were able to share the historic love story between chocolate and salt, dating back to 1000 BC! We found out that science backs up this flavour combination through the use of sensors and the benefits that Maldon Salt brings when added. We had the delightful chance in catching up with Bare Bones Chocolate, who were kind enough to share their own thoughts on the sweet-and-salty pairing and how they use Maldon Salt within some of their chocolate bars! Ending things on a ‘sweet’ note, we hoped you enjoyed some of our favourite recipes to make for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day…

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these sweet treats! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store to stock up.

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

Is An Air Fryer Worth It? We Think So!

Air fryer cooking has gone viral in recent months due to claims such as Russell Hobbs’ Assistant Marketing Manager Caitlin Wood advising how the popular kitchen appliance is more energy efficient than an oven; a much healthier, guilt-free way to enjoy your food and also being quick and easy to use. Not forgetting – there is also less cleaning up to do in your Kitchen, as well as some even proclaiming the food tastes better!

How worth it is an air fryer?

This article will explore all of these claims that are currently dancing around in our kitchens, justifying just how brilliant this modern-day appliance really is to you and your families.

Nearing to the end of the article, we even share what the best foods to cook in your air fryer would be, including our own delicious Jacket Potato recipe, baked to perfection with a sprinkle of Maldon Salt.

Let’s put our reading glasses on and begin with understanding the just how efficient in energy an air fryer can be.

How Much Energy Does An Air Fryer Use?

An air fryer (1500W) on average use between 1.4 – 1.7kWh if you using it for 1-hour. This works by the air fryer using convection heat, whereby hot air is circulated around the compliance to cook the food – very similar to how a fan oven would work! The heating process creates a reaction to the food inside known as the Maillard Reaction, causing the exterior of the food to gently crisp up, resulting in delicious, crunchy-texture foods!

Does It Use Less Electricity Than An Oven?

 In comparison, a single electric oven would use on average 2.0-2.2kWh if using for 1-hour. A double electric oven would use even more electricity, averaging 4kWH-8.5kWh!

You’re probably thinking if the air fryer uses less electricity than your oven, it must be cheaper to run? The answer is yes! The Money Edit advised how an oven costs on average 21p to use, whereas a standard air fryer of 800W would be 13.6p. However, be mindful of the wattage of your air fryer, as a higher wattage equates to more electricity being used. In turn, this may result in a higher amount of electricity being used compared to your oven..

How Energy Efficient Are Air Fryers?

Researchers at Hometree have stated that air fryers are more energy efficient than most ovens simply because they cook food much faster. As mentioned earlier, an air fryer of 1500W typically would use around 1.4-1.7kWh an hour, so using the appliance for just 10 minutes would cost only 9p. Compared to a single oven of 2.2kwh being used for the same time, costing up to 12p.

(Source: Electricity Cost Counter. Electricity costs are calculated using the UK: Energy Price Guarantee (October 2022) electricity rate of £0.34 per kWh).

You only need to use the air fryer for a short amount of time due to how fast it can cook your food. An oven would take longer due to the larger volume it holds, meaning the longer it would for heat to circulate around the appliance. In comparison, the air dryer is much smaller in volume and can heat your food in a matter of minutes!

And this leads us onto the many benefits of air frying your food. We’ll explore the health profits of air frying compared to oil, as well as the body science of consuming air-fried foods.

Benefits Of Air Frying

As you place your food onto the air fryer’s basket and press the activation button, the circulating hot air will start to cook your foods, creating a glorious, crispy brown coating and a delectably soft inside. With the food cooking, any greasy drops or leftover juices are caught at the bottom of the air fryer’s container, away from the food.

This sounds like the perfect, cooking set-up, right? It’s because it IS!

Very little oil is used in the cooking process of an air fryer, replacing fried foods cooked in a deep-fat fryer/oiled pan which contain higher amounts of trans fat.

Within this section we will be looking at if air fryers are healthier, the quickness and easiness to use and the taste!

Are Air Fryers Healthier?

There is a clear winner when an air fryer is compared to deep frying your food…ding ding ding! It’s the air fryer! Air frying your food significantly reduces the amount of oil being absorbed when cooking, cutting calories by 70%-80%. As a result, air frying is healthier than oil frying as you are removing the calories and fat content in which would be remarkably higher when deep frying as you as you are using less oil.

When compared to an oven, the air fryer also poises on top with having many advantages. Air fryers are equipped with a tray underneath the basket where you would place your foods. This also reduces the amount of fat being absorbed into the foods as it is going into the tray and not amongst the foods you are cooking.

Quick And Easy To Use

Did you know air fryers take very little time to pre-heat? It’s all down to the smaller scale size of the kitchen appliance in comparison to a fan oven, where more heat is required to warm up the larger volume of space. Therefore, you can have your dinner’s ready in a matter of minutes as the pre-heating time shortens, meaning the cooking time is ramped up from the rapid air circulation.

Some may question how easy the air fryer is to use– but fear not! Hear is a short guide in how to use a standard, basket-type air fryer:

1. Place your air fryer on a heat-resistant surface. It is recommended to keep it 8 inches away from the wall.
2. Remove the components, in which normally includes a detachable basket and a tray in the bottom of the basket. Wash and dry these.
3.  It is advised by many manufacturers that you should run the air fryer empty for 10 minutes when you are first using it. This is to reduce the off-gas.
4. After this, you are ready to start cooking up a storm with your air fryer! You will find a manual with your air fryer in which will advise the correct temperature and timings for different types of foods you are wanting to cook.

Is your belly rumbling with all this food talk? Further in the article we will get to discuss why air fries food tastes great and what types of foods you can cook with your air fryer.

Less Cleaning Up

How many times have there been pots and pans all over the counter whist you’re creating a culinary masterpiece? With the air fryer you simply have the appliance itself to clean up, as it comes with a basket for the food to be air-fried in as well as a tray to hold any excess oil/juices…no pots or pans required!

Once your food is cooked, simply detach the basket from the appliance and place the food onto your plate – hey presto! Your dinner is served. This is a match-made-in-heaven if you are always on the go, have a busy family life or if you’ve simply just had enough of washing up your pans.

Air Fried Food Tastes Great

Does air fried food taste better? The machine’s rapid air circulation allows good to become wonderfully crispy and soft in the inside, basically turning foods into having an extra-crispy texture.  If you were to deep-fry your food, you may end up with a greasy, wet substance in which the air fryer doesn’t allow due to its internal tray catching any leftover oils/juices.

Additionally, as you are using less oil in an air fryer, you will find vegetables are less greasy and more flavoursome as they gentle bake in the warm heat, perfect to be dished up as a side for your dinner.

We’ve also noticed how beautifully tender in flesh chicken is when cooked in an air fryer. Due to the circulating heat, it causes the skin of the chicken to crisp out, allowing the centre of the protein to become deliciously succulent.

What Can You Cook In An Air Fryer?

Once you have secured an air fryer, you probably want to know what you can cook with it?

There is an abundance of foods you can cook in the air fryer, from cult-classics such as French fries to extravagant mains including roast chicken! We have made it easier for in writing a few food items in which you can cook in an air fryer:

• Chips (such as potato, sweet potato, turnip, parsnip etc).
• Vegetables
• Meats (such as chicken, fish, meat patties/burgers)
• Tofu
• Dessert (yes, you can make sweet treats including cookies!).
• Re-heated leftovers
• Frozen foods

All this talk about food has definitely made us hungry! We used our own air fryer and created a whole recipe using the handy kitchen appliance – our delicious Air Fryer Jacket Potatoes!

Air Fried Jacket Potatoes

Baked with a perfectly crisp outer skin and a deliciously fluffy inside – you will become obsessed with these jacket potatoes that are baked in an air fryer! Remember to coat the jacket potato in a light coating of oil and Maldon Salt to create not only a beautiful flavour and texture to the potato, but to draw our the moisture from the use of the salt.

Click here to see the full recipe in detail!

Our Final Thoughts…

Air fryers are the pinnacle of convivence. Not only are they energy efficient and cheaper to run in comparison to an oven or deep fryer, they make your life just that little bit simpler, with multiple functions to speed up your dish in being cooked in a matter of minutes! Not forgetting the health benefits that come with cooking with an air fryer, less oil being used mean less fat that ends up on your plate.

So take it from us…an air fryer is completely worth it!

Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these dishes! 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 ahead of the festive season…especially gloriously baked jacket potatoes.

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

We’ve teamed up with our good friend’s Bold Bean & Co in creating a perfectly spiced bean dish, accompanied with sweet, slow roasted carrots and crispy kale to add texture.

Bold Bean & Co’s Organic White Beans (haricot beans) are perfect to use for this dish as their bean’s are slow-cooked in which allow them to hold their shape when being cooked., creating the perfect, buttery and smooth flavour.

Amongst a bundle of spices such as chilli, cumin and garam masala, we add carrots to bring a gentle sweetness to the dish, with also a generous pinch of Maldon Salt to enhance the sweet notes and counteract the bitterness.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Start by roasting the carrots. Peel the carrots and cut them into 2-inch pieces, then toss in some olive oil and 1 tsp of cumin seeds. Season with Maldon Salt and pepper and place in the oven to roast for 15 minutes.
3. While the carrots are cooking, start the spiced beans.
4. Melt the coconut oil in a large sauté pan. Add the diced onion and cook gently until softened. Then add the garlic, chilli, and ginger and cook for another minute. Then add the cumin seeds, turmeric, black mustard seeds, garam masala and ground coriander and cook for another minute. Follow this with the chopped tomatoes. Cook these down gently until they collapse and soften.
5. Once the tomatoes are soft, add the Bold Beans & Co White Beans – including their juices – and the coconut milk to the pan, and mix. Then gently simmer this for 10 minutes until lovely and thickened. Season well with Maldon Salt and cracked black pepper.
6. Once the carrots are cooked remove from the oven and tip out of the baking tray. In the same baking tray then add the kale leaves.
7. Drizzle in olive oil and a good pinch of Maldon Salt and scrunch together with your hands so they are well coated. Place this back in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes until crispy but still green.
8. Remove from the oven.
9. To serve, spoon the beans into bowls and top with the cumin roasted carrots, crispy kale, and some coriander. Serve alongside some natural yoghurt and mango chutney.