Dietary: Dairy-Free

This recipe for a Blood Orange Olive Oil cake combines beautiful seasonal Blood Oranges and the use of Olive oil makes it wonderfully moist and flavoursome without being too sweet. It is topped with Blood Orange slices for a real showstopper dessert. 

  1. Grease a 20cm round cake tin with olive oil and line the base with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 190C.
  2. Take the blood oranges and carefully cut into thin rounds (as thin as you can go!). Start by sprinkling 30g of the golden caster sugar on the bottom of the cake tin, over the paper. Then arrange the slices on top of the in a nice circular pattern. Use the end pieces of the blood oranges to squeeze over any remaining juice and then set aside while you make the cake batter.
  3. In a large mixing bowl mix together the plain flour, semolina, baking powder and Maldon salt. Adding salt to your baking helps balance and enhance flavours, it balances sweetness and acidity.
  4. Next in a smaller bowl mix together the orange juice and zest, vanilla extract and olive oil.
  5. Place the eggs and sugar into a stand mixer – or you can use an electric whisk – and beat them together until they are pale and fluffy. Next add the dry ingredients, followed by the wet ingredients and beat until smooth.
  6. Pour the cake batter into the tin on top of the orange slices and smooth over the top. Place the cake tin into the preheated oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked through.
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then carefully remove from the cake tin before turning it upside down onto a plate and peeling off the baking paper. Allow the cake to then cool completely before slicing and serving with crème fraiche.

Start your day with a vibrant burst of flavour and nourishment with a green smoothie. Blending fresh spinach, creamy avocado and a hint of ginger, it’s finishing touch of Maldon Sea Salt flakes elevates every sip. The clean saltiness brings out the natural sweetness of the fruit and the earthiness of the greens, making this smoothie a refreshing, energising drink to have with your breakfast.

How to make a green smoothie

  1. Set up your blender on a cool, flat surface. Make sure it’s switched off whilst the plug is in.
  2. Start filling the blender with your ingredients in this order: water, half an avocado, fresh ginger, cored apples, frozen spinach and a final pinch of Maldon Sea Salt flakes to elevate the sweetness of the smoothie and counteract the bitterness.
  3. Place the lid securely onto the blender to prevent any spillage. Turn the switch/power button on.
  4. Select the appropriate speed setting and begin blending. You will know when the ingredients have blended nicely together because the liquid will become vivid green with a medium-thick texture.
  5. Pour the contents into a tall glass and drink immediately.

What are the benefits of a detox smoothie?

A detox smoothie helps detoxify your body, it can help with weight loss, it enhances immunity, improves digestion and is a great way of packing in extra vitamins and nutrients.

Are green smoothies good for you?

Medically reviewed by Dany P. Baby, green smoothies are nutrient-rich blends of fruits and vegetables which allow people to meet their recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals all in one glass! Unlike juices, green smoothies retain beneficial fibre from whole foods that are blended together.

What to put in a green smoothie

Basic green smoothies contain leafy greens like spinach, kale and arugula. Alone, these greens blended can take quite bitter, however there are many combinations you can use to improve the flavour profile and add further nutritional value to the drink:

Are green smoothies good for breakfast?

Green smoothies make a great breakfast option! You can make it quickly for a blender, it’s fresh tasting and it’s packed with nutrition from the amount of fruit and vegetables used. It contributes to your 5-a-day and is the ideal breakfast for when you are on the go.

Can you freeze green smoothies?

Yes. You can store your smoothie in the freezer for up to 3 months! It keeps the flavour, mouthfeel, colour and nutrition! Make sure you store your smoothie contents in BPA-free plastic, glass or bags designed for sub-zero temperatures so that you avoid cracking and freezer burn.

Can I make green smoothies the night before?

You can store your smoothie in the fridge for up to 1-2 days before drinking. However, we do recommend consuming the smoothie within 24 hours for optimal freshness. Make sure you container is covered with a tight-fitting lid

This take on a classic gin sour uses Pink Marmalade gin alongside the zesty and citrus flavours of Cointreau, lemon and Campari. When served in a beautiful couple glass with edible flavours it makes an elegant cocktail for entertaining guests.

  1. Add all the ingredients apart from the ice into a shaker and shake vigorously for a few minutes. Then add the ice and shake again for a few minutes.

2. Strain into a chilled coupe glass, making sure to tap out all the frothy egg white. Top the glass with a few drops of angostura bitters and garnish with edible flowers.

Porchetta makes a wonderful alternative to Turkey for your festive centrepiece. Porchetta originates from Italy and is a rolled joint of pork belly stuffed full of fragrant herbs. It is slow cooked for soft tender meat but still with beautiful crispy crackling on the outside. Serve this Porchetta alongside rosemary roast potatoes and fresh sautéed greens.

Begin by prepping your pork. Score the skin of the pork belly with a knife in lines at an angle across the whole skin, then place in the fridge uncovered overnight – this will help dry out the moisture in the skin and ensure you have super crispy crackling.

Meanwhile you can make the stuffing for the porchetta. In the olive oil lightly fry the onion with a pinch of Maldon salt for 5 minutes until softened. Then add the crushed garlic and fennel seeds and fry for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and tip into a bowl to cool. Once cooled add the lemon zest, chopped pistachios, sage, parsley, breadcrumbs and season with Maldon salt and cracked black pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Once you are ready to cook your pork remove from the fridge. Place it on a board skin side down, and then cover the flesh with your stuffing mixture. Using butchers string carefully roll your meat and bind together in 3 or 4 places tightly to keep it in a roll.

Place the rolled joint onto a baking tray and drizzle the skin with olive oil, rubbing it in and then sprinkle liberally with Maldon salt. Place the tray into your preheated oven for 30 minutes until the crackling is crispy and golden. Then turn your oven down to 180C and cook for a further 2 hours. If the crackling begins to look a little too dark, then you might want to cover it with some foil.

After the cooking time remove your porchetta from the oven and rest for 20 minutes until ready to serve!

This is a recipe for a delicious Rum spiced Ham, perfect for the festive period – this could be served on Christmas eve or New Year’s Eve and would be perfect alongside slow cooked red cabbage and dauphinoise potatoes. It is surprisingly easy to prepare and any leftovers make the best sandwiches!

Traditionally, a gammon joint would often require soaking overnight to remove some of the strong salt from the cure. However, more often these days the butchers use cures which don’t require this – check with your butcher first if you are unsure.

Take a large pan, big enough to hold your ham and to the pan fill it up halfway with water. To the water add the black treacle and mix in well. Then add your gammon joint and top up the pan with some more cold water until it just covers the ham. Then add the bay leaves, half an orange, cinnamon stick, star anise, black peppercorns and cloves. Then place on the hob and bring the liquid up the boil and then reduce to a low simmer and let it simmer for 2 hours 30 mins. Keep topping up the water level if necessary, to ensure the ham is evenly covered.

Preheat oven to 180C.

After 2 hours 30 mins remove the ham from the heat and allow to cool slightly before removing carefully from the pan of water.

Place the ham on a large baking tray and using a sharp knife, score the skin in a diamond pattern. In small bowl mix together the spiced rum, 2 tbsp black treacle, Dijon mustard, Maldon salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Use a pastry brush to rub this glaze all over the ham. Then place into the oven for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush again with any remaining glaze.

Let the ham rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Here is a classic Whiskey Sour recipe. A whiskey sour consists of malt whiskey, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white. Traditionally garnished with a glace cherry, this version uses a fresh cherry instead to nod towards Summer.

  1. In a cocktail shaker add the malt whiskey, lemon juice, Maldon Salt, sugar syrup and egg white.
  2. Fill the shaker with ice and shake well for 1 – 2 minutes. Fill a small rocks glass with ice and then strain the cocktail over.
  3. Garnish with a slice of orange and a fresh cherry on a cocktail stick.
  4. Finally add a couple of dashes of angostura bitters.

A salty dog is known to date back to the 1920s and consists of salt, gin and grapefruit juice – if you omit the salt rim then it is known as a Greyhound. It is refreshing, classic and simple.

Place the Maldon salt onto a small, flat plate. Run some of the fresh grapefruit around the rim of a tall highball glass. Turn the glass upside down into the salt and turn it so the salt sticks to the edge of the rim.

Carefully fill the glass with ice. Pour in the Tanqueray Gin and then fill the glass with the grapefruit juice, gently stir. Garnish with a slice of fresh pink grapefruit.

A paloma consists of grapefruit juice, tequila and lime. This one has the addition of Rosemary Syrup which adds a beautiful freshness to the cocktail. It is so simple and quick to make and you can store the syrup in the fridge for 1 week.

Start by making the rosemary sugar syrup. In a small pan add the granulated sugar and water along with the 4 rosemary sprigs. Bring to the boil and allow it to gently bubble until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

To make the cocktails start with the salt rim. Pour the Maldon salt onto a small, flat plate. Take 2 tumbler glasses and run a lime wedge around the rim. One at a time, turn the glasses upside down in the salt and turn them so the salt sticks to the rim. Set aside.

In a cocktail shaker add the Villa Ascenti gin with the grapefruit juice, rosemary sugar syrup and lime juice. Fill the shaker with ice and shake well for 1 minute. Fill the glasses carefully with ice and then pour in the cocktail from the shaker. Top each glass up with sparkling water and then garnish with a final sprig of rosemary.

The Chilton is a cocktail originating from Texas. It is incredibly refreshing, especially on a hot day, and is so simple with just lemon, vodka and soda. The salty rim works brilliantly with the lemon and the addition of blueberries here brings some Summer fruitiness to the drink.

Begin by making the salt rim on the glass. Place the Maldon salt on a small, flat plate. Rub the rim of a tall highball glass with lemon and then turn the glass upside down into the salt and turn to stick the salt around the rim.

Carefully fill the glass with ice. Add the Ketel One vodka, lemon juice and top up with soda water. Stir gently and then garnish with fresh blueberries and some slices of lemon.

The classic Bloody Mary…a cocktail known to have been created in the early 1920s by Fernand Petiot, a bartender based at The New York Bar, later known as Harry’s New York Bar. The iconic drink is made up of vodka, tomato juice with salt, dashes of hot sauces, black pepper and garnished with a celery stick.

Why is it called a ‘Bloody Mary’?

It is believed that the cocktail was named after Queen Mary Tudor of England, due to cruel antics in the persecution of Protestants whom she burned at the stake in the hundreds. The cocktail symbolises this; the vodka representing the Queen’s wicked temper and the red colour of the tomato juice reflecting the sheer bloodshed that the Queen caused.

What does a Bloody Mary taste like?

You are initially greeted with the sweet, tangy taste and aroma of tomato juice when you take a first sip from a classic Bloody Mary, with a slight ‘earthy’ undertone. With the added dashes of Worcestershire sauce to the drink, you can also experience a subtle level of heat and spice.

Our recipe includes a Maldon Smoked Salt rim. This is an important ingredient to the cocktail as the flaky Maldon Salt elevates the overall flavour of the drink; intensifying the sweetness and counteracting the bitterness of the tomato juice. Additionally, the smoked salt element allows a gentle, warming undertone to come through when you take your first sip…utterly delicious!

Here is how to make our Bloody Mary Cocktail with Smoked Salt…

  1. Start by preparing the glasses with a smoked salt rim.
  2. Take 2 highball glasses and run a lemon wedge around the rim. Then pour some Maldon Smoked Salt onto a small, flat plate.
  3. Take each glass and turn it upside down into the salt and turn and press it so the smoked salt sticks to the rim.
  4. Set aside while you make the Bloody Mary.
  5. Into a jug add the Ketel One vodka, spicy tomato juice and lemon juice and mix well. Then fill the jug with ice and add the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and cracked black pepper (to taste). Stir the ice round until it has chilled all the ingredients but not too long as to water it down.
  6. Fill the Maldon Smoked Salt rimmed glasses with ice. Then pour in the Bloody Mary cocktail.
  7. Garnish with a stick of celery, a wedge of lemon and some olives on a cocktail stick.

What to serve with a Bloody Mary Cocktail?

As the cocktail is primarily tomato-based, it makes sense to pair this drink with some ‘deliciously’ good savoury dishes…

We recommend serving a wholesome, homemade pizza, as the tomato and cheese toppings on the baked dough compliment the flavours perfectly with a Bloody Mary, creating a flavour-pairing that is a match-made-in-heaven!

Cheese itself is a ingredient that works great with tomatoes, spices and herbs…which is exactly what a Bloody Mary possesses! As a result, a side dish of scrumptious, arancini balls made with melting mozzarella and parmesan is ideal with the cocktail.

Is a Bloody Mary spicy?

Because a Bloody Mary includes a few dashes of Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce, the cocktail can be a bit on the spicy side depending on how many dashes you put into the mixture. To make it less spicy, simply reduce or take out the sauce elements from the drink and stick with just the Maldon Smoked Salt rim for a gentle, warming flavour.