A condiment for every occasion

Selection of Tracklements condiments in jars and bottles | H is for Home

Some time ago, we were sent a luxury Christmas hamper to review. We remembered that one of the highlights was the jar Tracklements condiment that was contained within. So we were very happy indeed to be sent a wonderful (and much larger) selection of Tracklements products to try out.

The Wiltshire-based company have such a fabulous array of small-batch, hand-made items on their website – mustards, relishes, jellies, fruit cheeses, sauces and the like. They have an ever-expanding range – currently over 60 products.

Bottles of Tracklements brown sauce, tomato ketchup and barbecue sauce | H is for Home

It was difficult to choose. However, we did manage to make our selections… eventually!

We love our food here at H is for Home headquarters and cooking and baking most days. Justin eats meat and Adelle is veggie. Some meals we share, on other occasions we go our separate ways. The Tracklements condiment range suits us both – in fact, they’re suitable for all kinds of dietary preferences and tastes.

Some of their flavours are punchy & robust, others are subtle & delicate. There are lots of different colours, consistencies and textures to experience… and experiment with! They match perfectly with a huge array of dishes, be it vegetables, meat or fish.

As you might expect, they’re particularly suited to serve on the side of cheeses, hot & cold meat selections, burgers, kebabs, sausages, tempura and the like. However, they can also be incorporated into the dishes themselves. There are endless possibilities.

Pork pie with Tracklements aromatic medlar jelly condiment | H is for Home

Justin couldn’t resist getting stuck in after receiving the delivery, pairing his lunchtime pork pie with the aromatic medlar jelly. The box had been unpacked less than 20 minutes earlier!  And, a bonus factor for this item, their medlar jelly is made using fruit donated by the local community. For every jar they sell, they donate 50p towards buying bee-friendly medlar trees via their Plant a Tree, Save a Bee project.

We then spent the following week dipping into our Tracklements condiment ‘hoard’ whenever the opportunity arose.

Fat chips with Tracklements proper tomato ketchup | H is for Home

Sometimes we kept things very simple – crispy, salty home-cooked chips dipped into a pot of their proper tomato ketchup, for example – what a treat! It’s made with juicy Italian tomatoes and a subtle blend of spices. It’s intensely flavoured, yet so well rounded and smooth – non of that acidic sharpness of some other ketchups. Sometimes, the simple things are hard to beat!

Plate of sausages with Tracklements quintessential brown sauce | H is for Home

At the weekend, Justin combined his Sunday morning Porcus sausages with the quintessential brown sauce. He doesn’t throw just any old sauce over his lovingly cooked sausages, however, this rich and tangy concoction made with herbs, soy sauce, tamarind and dates was very worthy of its place on the plate! He’s a complete convert to this one as well.

Cheese board with Tracklements sticky fig relish | H is for Home

Then there was a classic cheeseboard. This was a good opportunity to test the sticky fig relish and quince fruit cheese. Notes on the jars said that the relish was good with all manner of soft cheese and that the fruit cheese worked well with Manchego. Fortunately, we had both – and the folks at Tracklements weren’t wrong – it was absolutely delicious!

Tracklements sticky fig relish | H is for Home Tracklements quince fruit cheese | H is for Home

On other occasions, we added products during the cooking process. A generous dollop of the piquant Original Wiltshire mustard (the UK’s first wholegrain mustard) worked so well in our devilled mushroom sauce.

Devilled mushrooms with Tracklements Wiltshire mustard | H is for Home

…and a spoonful of the Thai spice jelly in Justin’s chicken & pak choi noodles was the perfect too – the chillies, ginger, garlic and lemongrass flavours adding real zing.

Noodle stir fry with Tracklements Thai spice jelly | H is for Home

If you fancy the sound of of their condiments but aren’t sure what to do with them, Tracklements have a dedicated web page with a range of recipes and serving suggestions.

Tracklements mustardy mayonnaise | H is for Home Tracklements aromatic medlar jelly | H is for Home

In addition to the amazing flavours, we love the packaging too. There are various sizes and shapes of container… with very cute, quirky graphics on the labels. Who wouldn’t want these lovely bottles and jars in their kitchen or larder? Clear some space in the cupboard for these “proud pioneers of the pantry”.

What are your ‘go to’ condiments to have alongside your favourite foods?

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The big cheese

Vintage T G Green cheese dish with wooden mouse | H is for Home

We picked up this lovely vintage pottery cheese dome today.

Vintage T G Green cheese dish | H is for Home

It’s from the ‘Spectrum’ range produced by T G Green. We love the crisp, clean, functional design – along with the bold, stylised lettering.

Vintage T G Green cheese dish base stamp | H is for Home

We were happy with the purchase… and our little mousey friend is always happy when we acquire anything at all to do with cheese!

Vintage T G Green cheese dish with wooden mouse | H is for Home

Alas, he’ll have to say goodbye as it will be heading for the web shop soon. We’ll let him keep the cheese though!

Cakes & Bakes: Red Leicester cheese scones

Buttered, home-made red Leicester cheese scones | H is for Home #recipe #scones

We watched Great British Bake Off winner, Nadiya Hussain’s new BBC cooking series this week. She made Eton mess cheesecake, smoked haddock welsh rarebit and red Leicester cheese scones. It all looked amazing but as we’re afternoon scone lovers, that was the one I wanted to recreate the most.

Flour and grated red Leicester mixture | H is for Home

Nadiya gave viewers a really useful scone-making hint that I’d never heard before. She advised when cutting out the rounds, don’t twist the cutter as this makes the scones lean when rising during baking. One to remember!

Cutting red Licester cheese scones from dough | H is for Home

The other revelation was using onion salt in the recipe. We have some pots of wonderful Cornish Sea Salt, one of which is onion flavoured. I find ‘regular’ onion salt tastes a bit strong, but this one is more subtle – so I added double the ¼tsp measure she sets out. It worked perfectly.

Brushing the tops of red Leicester scones with milk before they go into the oven | H is for Home

The entire process took half an hour from start to delicious end. Nadiya served up hers with her own home-made chive butter; however, plain old salted works a treat too. I reckon red Leicester cheese scones would be successful as part of an alternative ploughman’s lunch – served with cold meats, boiled eggs, salad and pickled onions & red cabbage. Great for picnics, drinks parties or afternoon teas too.

Cooked red Leicester cheese scones cooling on a wire rack | H is for Home

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Red Leicester cheese scones
Yields 9
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 175g/6oz self-raising flour
  2. 50g/1¾oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
  3. ¼ tsp onion salt
  4. 55g/2oz unsalted butter, room temperature
  5. 25g/1oz red Leicester, grated
  6. 150ml/5fl oz whole milk, plus 1tbsp extra for glazingHome-made red Leicester cheese scones ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas mark 7
  2. Grease or line a baking tray with baking paper
  3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flours, onion salt and butter into a bowl and rub together using your fingertips until you get a fine breadcrumb consistency
  4. Mix in the cheese
  5. Make a well in the centre and add the milk
  6. Bring the dough together with your hands, being careful not to knead or the dough will become tough
  7. Dust the work surface with flour and press the dough out to the thickness of about 2cm/1in
  8. Cut out the scones using a 5cm/2in circular cutter and place onto the prepared tray
  9. Bring the offcuts together gently, again being careful not to knead and cut out as many circles as possible until there's no dough remaining
  10. Brush the tops with milk and bake for 12-15 minutes until the tops are golden and well risen
  11. Allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack
  12. Serve warm with butter
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Adapted from Nadiya's British Food Adventure
H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Halloumi herb bread

Home-made halloumi herb bread | H is for Home

We’re making an unusual real bread recipe this time, for our weekly Cakes & Bakes feature; Halloumi herb bread.

Cubed halloumi and extra virgin olive oil | H is for Home Halloumi mixed with chopped basil and extra virgin olive oil | H is for Home

Classic halloumi is made with mint, and the original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh mint leaves and 4 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley leaves. I bought a pack of halloumi from Lidl which was made with basil, so I tweaked the recipe accordingly.

Rolling the halloumi herb bread dough | H is for Home

Bakery Bits baked their halloumi herb bread in a Pullman loaf pan, a bit of kit which I don’t own, so I just used a common or garden loaf tin.

Rolled Halloumi herb loaf proving in its tin | H is for Home

A delicious, hearty, intensely flavoured loaf was the result. A suitable accompaniment for an endless number of dishes… meat, fish or vegetable based – rice, pasta, couscous or salad.

Baked Halloumi herb bread loaf on bread board | H is for Home

I had it again the following day, toasted on both sides under the grill – very satisfactory leftovers.

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Halloumi herb bread
Yields 1
Cook Time
1 hr
Cook Time
1 hr
Ingredients
  1. 5g/0.2oz dry yeast
  2. 175ml/6 fl oz warm water
  3. ¼tsp caster sugar
  4. 250g/9oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
  5. 25g/1oz strong wholemeal bread flour
  6. 4g/0.15oz salt
  7. 250g/9oz Halloumi cheese, cut into 1cm chunks
  8. 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  9. 2 tbs finely chopped fresh basil leaves
  10. 3 spring onions, peeled and sliced fairly finely
  11. pinch of sea salt
  12. pinch of freshly ground black pepperHalloumi herb bread ingredients
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Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, mix the yeast with 15ml/½ fl oz of the water at 30°C/86ºF and the caster sugar
  2. Allow to stand for about 15 minutes, until it has developed a slight froth on the surface
  3. Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine
  4. Add the yeast mixture and the rest of the water and use your hand or a dough whisk to mix everything together until there's no dry flour left and you have a shaggy dough
  5. Tip the dough out onto the work surface and knead for 10 minutes. By this stage the dough should be smooth and elastic
  6. Form the dough into a ball and place it back in the mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean, damp cloth and leave at room temperature for 1-1½ hours
  7. While the dough is rising, put the Halloumi into a medium bowl with the olive oil, basil leaves and spring onions
  8. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir, then cover and leave for at least 30 minutes
  9. Prepare a 500g/1lb loaf tin by lightly greasing the sides and base with butter and dusting lightly with flour
  10. When the dough has almost doubled in size, gently tip it onto the work surface and press it out to form a rectangle three times the length and slightly wider than your loaf tin
  11. Spread the Halloumi and herb mixture evenly over the top of the dough
  12. Working from one of the long sides, roll the dough up like a Swiss roll. Press gently on the seam with your fingers to seal
  13. Place the roll of dough in the prepared loaf tin, cover and leave to prove for about 30 minutes
  14. Preheat the oven to 190°C /375°F /Gas mark 5
  15. Bake for 1 hour or until the top of the loaf develops a golden brown crust and the base makes a hollow sound when tapped
  16. Remove the loaf from the tin and place on a cooling rack
Notes
  1. Serve with tomato salad
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Adapted from Bakery Bits
Adapted from Bakery Bits
H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/