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)
40 Recipe Ideas Using Sauces and Condiments
Recipe Ideas Using Tomato Ketchup
- In Bloody Mary Tomato Sauce
- In a glaze for Sticky Asian Chicken Wings
- In sausage meat ragu
- In Jamaican jerk chicken
- In grilled Hawaiian pork chops
- In a BBQ relish
- In sweet and sour chicken
- In South Carolina BBQ sauce
- In a meat loaf
Recipe Ideas Using Mayonnaise
- In kebab shop garlic sauce
- In potato salad
- In chilli devilled eggs and jalepeno devilled eggs
- In chocolate brownies
- In a homemade tartare sauce
- In Coronation chicken
- In a lobster dip
- In baked prawn toasts
- In a pea salad
- As a filling for crispy spring rolls
- As a dairy free pasta sauce
Recipe Ideas Using Onion Marmalade or Chutney
- As a glaze for a joint of beef
- In freshly baked chutney bread rolls
- To perk up some unexciting soup
- In savoury Chelsea buns
- In homemade veggie sausage rolls
- In a biryani to use up the remains of a roast
- In a savoury cheesecake
Recipe Ideas Using Brown Sauce
- in sticky ginger beer pork strips
- in a sausage casserole with a spicy gravy
- in meatballs
- as a spicy chicken marinade
Recipe Ideas Using Sweet Chilli Sauce
- In Sloppy Joes
- In an Asian bean dip
- In sticky chicken wings
- In a spicy peanut dipping sauce
- In slow cooked sticky chicken wings
- In a sweet chilli sausage plait
- In sweet chilli Bang Bang sauce
- In a spicy whole roast chicken
- In sweet chilli mango sauce
Introducing Herbert!
We have recently adopted Herbert a miniature wired haired dachshund who has just had his 5th birthday. He is not so mini miniature weighing in at 7.5kg – but he is a healthy shape and size!
Now sauces are not really good for a dachshund but Herbert does adore to help with the recycling and loved the box they came in as much as we loved the sauces!
Post commissioned by Stokes to tell you about their delicious mayonnaise and the competition. All opinions our own.
Kayleigh McManus
Obsessed with Mayo! Not tried this one though! X
Helen
I do love a good mayo too. The Stokes one is well worth trying
Joanna
Ketchup, sweet chili sauce and mayo never miss from my fridge as well. I have actually never tried this brand before but the intense tomato aroma from the ketchup makes me want to buy it.
Helen
the tomato sauce is out of this world, rich, sweet and oh so tomatoey!
Melanie
Never heard of stokes but love a good mayo though so may give it a try x
Helen
We are loving their sauces – such good quality and such a good range.
La French Connection
I have never tried that brand but it looks like they have a lot of choice! Sounds like they have take lots of care over their mayonnaise.
Helen
it is fantastic mayonnaise!
Hannah
Ive never heard of this brand before. Im tempted to check it out as the sauce does look very good
Helen
The sauces are fantastic! really good quality. I’ll be buying the tomato forever more.
Becca
And I thought ketchup and mayonnaise were just for chips ? Love the sound of the Haiwaian pork chops, I’ll have to give them a try! Maybe served with some chips and a dollop of mayo though ? X
Helen
Even better served with chips and mayo!
Kelly Jones
These sound amazing me and my fiancé love trying new condiments and making new things so I love the recipe ideas too x
Helen
Stokes have an amazing range!
Rhian Westbury
I don’t really tend to use a lot of condiments as I prefer making my own, but you can’t go wrong with having ketchup at home x
Helen
I love making them too, but sometimes life is far too short and you only want one jar of something.
five little doves
Ooh I am all about the mayo! I put it on everything, although have never tried it in chocolate brownies!
Helen
all about the mayo too here! it is perfect for baking as the main ingredients are egg and oil.
Christy
I’m guilty of having a lot of different condiments open in the fridge. I definitely find that if you use a good quality brand then you get a much stronger flavour, need to use less and can work with them in a lot more recipes. I’ll give Stokes a try as they look excellent.
Helen
so many jars and bottles in our fridge! I agree the better quality something is the less you use and the better value it becomes.
Fritha Strickland
oh my gosh first of all your dog defiantly stole the show! How cute?! Look the look of this range too though!
Helen
Thank you Fritha – it is his first appearance on the blog.
Patrick
I have always believed that if I could ever stop eating mayo,I would lose so much weight! I had ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner last night with lots of mayo!
Helen
Almost everything savoury is better with mayo. I
Mellissa Williams
I’ve never heard of the brand but I shall definitely be giving them a try. What a great round up of sauce/condiment recipes – you don’t often realise just how versatile they can be!
Helen
Condiments are SUCH a good ingredient, so many ways to use them.
Tanya Brannan
Oh my gosh I have all these condiments in my cupboards but have never thought of using them in recipes before apart from making a Marie Rose sauce. Ok k have to say the savoury bread rolls with the onion chutney would be my favourite to try first
Helen
I completely forgot about Marie Rose sauce! Such a classic.
Baby Isabella
We’re addicted to mayonnaise and have tried STOKES before and they taste amazing. Must make sure our christmas cupboard is stocked up!
Helen
Ideal for adding to all that left over turkey!
Helene
Wow this sounds really naive .. I’ve never tried this brand before .. But now I have to try this
Thanks for sharing !
Helen
They are so delicious!
Tara
Congratulations on your adoption of Herbert! He looks adorable. This company sounds wonderful. I would love to try their mayonnaise in the kebab shop garlic sauce.
Helen
Thanks Tara, we are so smitten with Herbert!
lisa
Am I going to have to visit the UK to get some of those sauces? They sound awesome – and I’m curious about the brown sauce. What is that?
Helen
Brown sauce is a spicy sauce. like a spicy tomato ketchup, but without the tomatoes. Fabulous in a bacon sandwich.
Sues
These sauces look great and I LOVE the pretty jars! And all of the awesome recipe ideas!!
Helen
They are such a lovely brand.
Amy
Great round up of ideas! I don’t have onion marmalade in my fridge but now I NEED it!!
Helen
I love onion marmalade. so delicious!
Emily Leary
Some really interesting ideas for using condiments! Might have to give that pea salad a go later tonight :)
Helen
that pea salad looks so so good!
Chrissy Faery
Oh my goodness, I had so much that I was going to say about the sauces and then…HERBERT!! *Squee!!!* What a darling!! He looks like he’s having so much fun with that box! <3 I've never heard of Stokes before, but the red onion marmalade sounds lush! xx
Helen
thank you – we do adore Herbert!
Katrina
Never found one to beat Heinz but I’ll give stokes a try
Helen
You can really taste the premium ingredients in the Stokes sauces.
Kara
The red onion marmalade looks and sounds delicious, I would love to try that one
Helen
it is so so good!! rich and sticky
Martin Scarff
I have tried Stokes Mayo, ketchup and brown sauce. They really are the bee’s knees.
Helen
they really are fabulous, especially that tomato ketchup!