Lavender flowers have a distinctive floral flavour, but as it is part of the mint family, which allows the flower to contain hints which are closely similar to mint and rosemary. This means that when lavender is dried and infused with sea salt, it works brilliantly with sweet bakes such as shortbread biscuits, chocolate, and crème brûlée. You can also cook with lavender to infuse it with savoury dishes such as lamb, fish, and chicken to give a gentle sweetness.
Whilst using lavender salt in both sweet and savoury dishes, did you know that you can add the flavoured sea salt into cocktails! For example, it could be used to salt the rim of a homemade cocktail to make a margarita with a twist! Or, you can use the lavender salt as part of the main ingredients with our delicious lavender nectarine whiskey sour cocktail – perfect to be enjoyed in the sun! Make sure to not discard of the lavender buds completely, as you can use them to garnish the cocktails and impress your guests.
The possibilities are endless with lavender salt, plus once you make a batch you can store it in an airtight container or mason jar for up to 6 months!
How to make lavender salt?
You must make sure the lavender you use is dried – you can buy dried and edible lavender from the supermarkets, however if you are cutting from flowers at home then simply remove the flowers and allow to dry for a week before using.
Place the dried lavender flowers into a pestle and mortar and crush until they are broken up and mostly ground.
Mix the grounded dried flowers with the Maldon Salt evenly. Store in an airtight container or mason jar.
What dishes can you use lavender salt with?
As lavender sea salt is completely edible, the combinations are completely up to you taste buds!
A dish that would really impress your guests would be lamb. Because lavender is similar to rosemary, the dried flower is a perfect accompaniment when it comes to cooking with lamb. The sea salt elevates the sweetness of the lavender, allowing the seasoning to cut through the rich, fattiness of the meat, resulting in a succulent, aromatic main course.
For a side dish recommendation, try sprinkling the lavender salt on some crispy, Hasselback potatoes. The fragrant, dried culinary lavender with the sea salt gives the roast potatoes a floral tone to it’s natural earthiness, allowing a sweet balance between both flavours and adding mystery to the dish.
If you are a dessert person, try adding lavender salt as a topper for your homemade ice cream! The floral accents from the lavender gives a natural, fresh sweetness to the ice cream, where the sea salt will elevate this further and balance out any bitterness.
Is all lavender safe to eat?
Please note, not all lavender is safe to eat! Culinary lavender is cultivated from Lavandula angustifolia, which is known as ‘true’ lavender. This has a lot less oil than the usual lavender flowers used in perfumes or soaps.
You can tell if your lavender is edible by the flowering. Keep a look out for blooms with a much milder appearance – this means it’s safe to eat! You can also do a smell test. If it has a sweet, floral scent, this could indicate that it is angustifolia, which is safe to eat. On the other hand, if it has a strong, piney almost eucalyptus scent, this flower is recommended for perfume/soaps only.
Join us in creating the perfect gift of homemade fig jam for your friends and family. This recipe is great when accompanied with a fresh loaf of bread or used as a side condiment for a cheeseboard.
Pull the stems off the figs and cut them into chunks to give the jam some texture.
Add all the ingredients into a saucepan with a splash of cold water (roughly 150ml)
Mix to combine them and bring to a simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 10 minutes.
Then cover and simmer on a very low heat for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
The figs will break down and you’ll be left with a delicious jam with textured bits from the soft fig skin.
Popping your jam into jars is a slightly lengthy process… but worth it to give it the longevity so you can enjoy it later in the year. Pop your sterilised glass jars on a tray and slide them into the oven at 130c/275f (don’t have it any hotter as they may shatter) leave them in the oven for at least 20 minutes. Be extremely careful taking them out one by one using oven gloves, popping them on to a heat proof mat or pad. Spoon the hot jam mix straight into the jars and seal the lid tightly.
Pop your jam in the cupboard, once open keep in the fridge and consume within 2 months!
What cheese pairs well with fig jam?
Camembert and Brie pair beautifully well with figs in general. Head over to our Ultimate Christmas Cheeseboard recipe to see such how perfect the balance in flavours go together.
Should the fig skin be left on or taken off?
Remove the skin from the figs you are prefer your jam to be smooth. However, if you prefer a more preserve-like texture, leave the skins on.
Join us in creating our delicious Bellini cocktail; infused with the wintery flavours of sweet, fig jam with an added kick of zest and fizz through the use of lemon juice and prosecco. Head over to our Fig Jam recipe to make your very own fruit preserve in the comfort of your home. Homemade jam tastes much better than store bought due to the rich nutrients that your garden soil can bring, with also being a much healthier alternative due to having less sugar content than the usual store bought versions.
The origins of the renowned Bellini is believed to have come from the mid 1930-1940s, where Giuseppe Cipriani based in Italy, (founder of Harry’s Bar), named the drink after it’s striking ‘sunset’ colour in which reminded him of the paintings by Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini! This is why we use the flavoursome fig jam in our Bellini, as not only does it give a delectable, rich taste to the drink, it also gives a vibrant, peach colour which will ‘wow’ your guests as you serve them this tipple.
Add the ingredients into a shaker with plenty of ice, securing the lid or shaker tin tightly.
Shake with both hands until well chilled in a vigorous motion, horizontally over your shoulder. You will know you have shaken well when the shaker starts to frost up from the outside.
Strain your cocktail into a chilled glass with ice.
To finish, add a small pinch of Maldon Salt to enhance the sweet flavour of the fig jam.
Garnish the cocktail with dried orange and lemon slices.
Do you enjoy making cocktails?
You can find our Cocktail Club series with the talented Christie Knight on our YouTube Channel. The series includes how to make cocktail classics such as the Bloody Mary, to unique alcohol-free tipples including the Negroni.
Using a small knife, prick the chilli peppers all over so they will absorb the liquid marinade.
Place the chillies in a 1 litre preserving jar, packing them down lightly.
Mix the remaining ingredients in a jug, then pour the liquid over the chillies.
Seal the jar and store it in a dark place for up to one month, by which time the chillies will have softened and become pickled in flavour!
The classic margarita is part of the ‘sour’ cocktail family, traditionally consisting of tequila, triple sec orange liqueur and lime juice.
There are many debates as to who created the iconic margarita, one of them being of legendary bartender Pancho Morales. Pancho was working at Tommy’s Place in Juarez, Mexico in 1942 when a woman requested a ‘magnolia’. Apparently, Pancho did not remember the ingredients for this drink, so instead combined a few ingredients together and named it after another flower instead, a daisy which is called ‘margarita’ in Spanish!
Today, the margarita cocktail is reportedly consumed by Americans 185,000 per hour, being the most popular cocktail in the United States. The reason for it’s popularity is due to the drink containing all five main tasting elements: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami, causing is to be a perfectly balanced drink. It also holds a fresh kick of citrus from the lime juice and triple sec, which is an orange-flavoured liqueur.
Using Maldon Salt for the rim is a vital step for serving a classic margarita. The salt helps mellow the bitter flavours, and enhances the sweet, citrus notes from the triple sec instead. Causing the sourness of the drink to appear more brighter in flavour, it allows the cocktail to become more pleasurable. It also adds texture to the drink from the flaky sea salt, allowing you to experience a subtle, satisfying crunch as you take your first sip.
Here is how to make our Classic Salted Margarita recipe…
Place a generous pinch of Maldon Salt onto a small plate. Set aside.
Run a lime wedge around the outer rims of a rock glass and dip the rims into the Maldon Salt. Set aside.
In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, Cointreau triple sec, and lime juice. Fill with ice and shake until thoroughly chilled, roughly 15 seconds. You will know when it has chilled because the bottom of the metal shaker should begin to frost over).
Fill the glass with fresh ice. Begin straining the margarita mix into the glass.
Garnish with a lime wedge and serve.
What alcohol is in a margarita?
The main alcohol in a margarita is tequila. This is then combined with lime juice and orange liqueur. We recommend using El Tequileño Blanco as your choice of tequila for this recipe, as it’s made with agaves from the Highlands of Jalisco, resulting in a slightly sweeter taste that pairs beautifully well with the lime juice and triple sec.
How to make this virgin / alcohol-free?
A virgin margarita is commonly made with lime juice, agave, orange juice and sparkling water or tonic water for bubbles. The combination of ingredients makes a well-balanced and sweet mocktail from the classic, allowing you to enjoy the flavours of a margarita but without the alcohol part!
What to serve with margarita cocktails?
It makes sense to serve delicious, Mexican-style dishes with a margarita cocktail! Our tacos are filled with deliciously tender pulled pork with fiery, zesty notes that pair perfect with the margarita’s citrus flavours.
Because margarita’s have a zesty, limey flavour, we also recommend dishes such as seafood to enhance this further. Try our deliciously tender grilled tuna steak with tomato and Salsa Verde to give a refreshing burst of flavour with a gentle kick of spice.
What are the benefits of salt baking?
Cooking fish in a salt crust is a wonderful way of ensuring your fish stays deliciously moist and doesn’t overcook.
The salt crust creates a layer which insulates the food to stop moisture escaping – this means all the delicious juices stay inside and it ensures the food cooks more evenly.
Of course, the salt also adds seasoning, you might worry that it seems like a lot of salt, however most of the crust is removed after cooking and only the correct amount of salt will season through to the actual food.
Serve this salt baked sea bass with simple steamed new potatoes and greens, plus plenty of lemon to squeeze over the fish – perfect!
Prepare the fish by filling the cavity with the thyme, rosemary lemon slices and garlic cloves.
Select a baking tray that is large enough for the fish and cover with baking paper.
Next, prepare the salt crust. In a large bowl whisk together the egg whites until soft peaks form, then fold through the salt – the texture should be similar to wet sand.
Place a third of the mixture on the baking tray (in the shape of the fish) and place the seabass on top.
Then use the remaining salt mixture to enclose the fish in the crust. Make sure the seabass is completely covered and use your hands to pack the crust in.
Bake in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and lightly golden.
Use the back of a knife to crack the crust and remove it all from the fish – it should come away in chunks.
Then simply peel and fillet the fish to serve.
Celebrate Christmas with this festive fruit vodka cocktail. Using the flavours of grapefruit and blood orange, this drink has a delicious citrus twist which your guests will love and keeping going back for more!
We also add a salt rim to the cocktail using Maldon Sea Salt flakes! The reason we use a salt rim is to help counteract the slightly bitter notes from the grapefruit and blood orange, whilst elevating the natural sweetness of the red currants. The salt rim also gives texture to the cocktail, enhancing your experience as you take a sip. Head over to our Where to Buy page to find your nearest store to grab a pack now and have a go!
Ingredients for the Perfect Christmas Cocktail:
1 or 2 lime wedges
Maldon Sea Salt flakes
3 parts of grapefruit juice
3 parts of blood orange juice
1 part of vodka
Frozen red currants
Sprigs of rosemary for garnish
How to Make Your Christmas Cocktail
Run the lime wedge around your cocktail glasses and dip into the Maldon Salt.
Combine all the parts in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake well and strain into your prepared glasses. Garnish with the frozen berries and a sprig of rosemary.
Tips for Garnishing and Serving Your Christmas Cocktail
There is an art in knowing what type of garnishes to use for your cocktails and how to serve them. Doing these two things well will add a wonderful festive touch to your drinks, and impress your dinner guests!
Use Seasonal Ingredients
We recommend incorporating fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme into your cocktail, as these flavours mimic the aromas of Christmas. They also resemble miniature Christmas trees, adding a playful twist to the drink! Include the sweetness of cranberries to add a pop of festive red to your cocktail. You can also add a slice of orange or lemon to bring a gentle, citrusy warmth to the drink.
2. Ice with a Twist
Instead of using classic ice cubes, why not try freezing cranberries, mint leaves or rosemary sprigs in the ice cubes for a decorative and functional garnish? You can also use larger ice moulds shaped like snowflakes, stars or Christmas trees to add that ‘wow’ factor!
3. Festive Glassware
Choose glasses with seasonal designs, or opt for a clear glass to showcase the colourful layers of cocktail and garnishes. You can also tie a small ribbon around the steam of the glass for extra charm. On the topic of tying ribbons around the stem of the glass, why not add a personal touch to your drink, by adding name tags to glasses using gift tags tied with twine? This will give a nice, personal feel to your cocktail, making it extra special to them.
4. Creative Stirrers and Picks
Swap your classic cocktail picks with a festive topper! Use skewer marshmallows, sugared cranberries or citrus peels to give a delightful Christmas look and feel. You could even use candy canes as stirrers and add a delicious peppermint kick to the drink.
These touches will ensure your Christmas cocktails look as amazing as they taste!
Why Maldon Salt is Perfect for Cocktails?
Maldon Salt is an excellent choice for cocktails due to it’s unique characteristics that elevate both flavour and presentation.
Flaky Texture
Maldon Sea Salt has unique pyramid-shaped flakes that offers a saltiness with sweet precision, a fresh intensity and clean taste. It’s easy to handle and perfect for creating a visually appealing salted rim that gently dissolves as you sip. Unlike fine table salt, Maldon Salt offers a mild crunch without overwhelming the drink’s flavour profile.
2. Pure, Clean Taste
Maldon Salt has no additives. It has a clean, natural taste that compliments the ingredients in your cocktail. It’s flavour enhances the drink without the harshness of processed salts, making it ideal for delicate flavours.
3. Flavour Enhancer
4Maldon Salt amplifies the complexity of sweet and sour cocktail, creating a more dynamic flavour profile. It also boosts aromas and adds depth to cocktail, balancing the bitterness and enhancing aromas in sophisticated drinks like margaritas, Palomas, or smoky mezcal cocktails.
Pro Tip:
For best results, lightly wet the rim of your glass with citrus juice or water, before dipping into Maldon Salt for a even and clean application.
Whether you’re crafting a classic margarita or experimenting with a savoury cocktail, Maldon Salt brings an understated luxury that’s perfect for elevating your creations.
Make your Brussels sprouts burst with flavour this winter by adding a generous helping of smoky bacon rashers to the dish. Not only will it give the sprouts a zing of smokiness, but it will make your guests go in for seconds!
Don’t forget to add a generous pinch of Maldon Salt to the Brussels Sprouts. Salt adds the flavour to the bacon rashers whilst preventing the fat from developing acidity. You can find where to buy our Maldon Salt range by clicking here!
Transform your ordinary carrots with a beautiful lemon and honey glaze. When roasted, carrots give a delicious, sweet and earthy taste. When paired with lemon, it gives a sudden brightness, with a generous smothering of honey to enhance the sweetness of the vegetable.
This recipe pairs perfectly well with our Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder and Rolled Porchetta recipe. Add a generous pinch of Maldon Salt to enhance the flavour and draw out the bitterness.
Preheat the oven to 200C / 220 F / Gas Mark 6.
Peel and chop the tops and tails of the carrots. Make sure to remove any stems.
Place carrots on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Add the olive oil and a generous pinch of Maldon Salt and pepper.
Cook the carrots for 20 minutes, turning them halfway for an even roast.
While the carrot are roasting, in a small bowl mix the lemon juice and honey.
Once the carrots are roasted, take the carrots out of the oven and drizzle over the honey and lemon glaze.
Add the sprigs of thyme to the carrots. Toss lightly and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Can you use store bought lemon juice?
You can…However it is preferred to use fresh lemon juice. This is because bottled lemon juice usually contains additives and preservatives like sodium metabisulphite in which gives a much more intense, artificial taste when seasoning your vegetables. As a result, we recommend fresh lemon juice because not only is it completely natural and fresher in taste, in contains significantly more vitamin C.
Fresh thyme or dried thyme?
In dried form, thyme actually holds much more flavor than fresh. Therefore, when using dried thyme make sure to use it in less volumes than you would with fresh due to the intensity of taste and aroma.
What carrots are best for roasting?
We recommend using the classic Red Core Chantenay carrots. This is because they are very versatile in the way they are cooked, and become sweeter in storage.
How to create:
Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a glass bowl over hot water until it has melted.
Once the chocolate is completely melted add the almonds and Maldon Salt and mix well, pour the contents into a silicon mould and allow to cool.
After 4 hours or so of setting it should be ready to eat!
