40 Recipe Ideas Using Sauces and Condiments

As well as being a delicious accompaniment for food those jars of sauces and condiments in the fridge can make a fantastically versatile ingredient too – here are 40 recipe ideas which use sauces and condiments, plus a review of the tasty mayonnaise and sauces from Stokes.

Here in the fuss-free kitchen we LOVE our bottles and jars of condiments – so much so that an entire shelf in the fridge is stuffed full of jars and bottles of this and that. My staples are mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet chilli sauce and some sort of chutney or onion marmalade – we will use at least one of these every day.

Of course as well as being perfect to serve with things condiments also make great short cut ingredients, and I’ve gathered together some of my favourite recipes and ideas for using mayonnaise, tomato & brown sauces, ketchup, and onion marmalade or chutney.

New to our condiment shelf are some of the products from the Stokes Sauces range which we’ve really been enjoying. Stokes are a small Suffolk based company, and you should be able to get their products from Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, Booths as well as independent stores, farm shops and delis

Stokes are especially proud of their mayonnaise which is made with free range eggs and Greek extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil for that extra special taste. My view on mayonnaise is that life really is too short to make it, and much of the time I actually prefer ready made mayo to most homemade. Brands vary wildly and you really do get what you pay for. The folks at Stokes have given lots of thought to their mayonnaise, it tastes just right – with some, but not too rich a flavour. It dollops nicely from the jar – not too runny and not too stiff. There is a note of sharpness, but not too. Balanced rounded and all in all pretty good indeed.

At its simplest mayonnaise is a mix of egg and Dijon mustard with oil carefully drizzled in as you stir and stir hoping that the mixture will not split. The simplest recipes are often the hardest to get right as the base ingredients need to be just perfect.

Stokes mayonnaise is made with:

Whole Eggs – you can use just the yolk, but the white contains lots of nutrients and trace elements it makes sense to use it. The eggs are free range of course, British and from a higher welfare farm.
Dijon Mustard – Stokes own is used!
Rapeseed Oil (Canola Oil)- Known for lowering cholesterol, and a good base that is not too rich.
Extra Virgin Koroneiki Olive Oil – just 5% of the mayonnaise, but enough to give it that really special flavour and taste. The Greeks call the Koroneiki, which grows in Crete, the Queen of Olives. It is small and bitter olive that makes it hard to harvest, and of no use for a table olive, but its oil is dark green, velvety and rich with a wonderful smooth flavour. Ideal for Stokes’ premium mayonnaise.

You can read more about the ingredients and the process of selecting them here.

The other items from Stokes we tried were the thick, sweet and intensely tomato flavoured ketchup, probably the best I’ve ever had. The rich spicy and very grown up flavoured brown sauce, packed full of spices it is not too sharp and would be perfect in a bacon sandwich. The sweet chilli sauce was thick, sweet and gently flavoured, not too hot and perfect for dipping. Red onion marmalade was rich, dark and sticky, ideal for topping a burger with, or serving with cheese. There are lots more in the range and most are in the £3 – £3.50 price range.

If you would like to win a trip to Crete to see the Koroneiki olive trees and learn what makes their oil so special then hop on over to Stokes and enter the competition. (T&Cs apply)

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