Atkins & Potts (Inspired Dining) – Product Review
Now more often than not, I tend to dismiss the use of pre-made sauces, as it is quite easy to prepare a sauce at home without a great deal of effort. For example making a curry sauce is not that difficult. As long as you have onions, garlic, chilli along with a few dried spices such as coriander, cumin and turmeric, add a tin of chopped tomatoes and you have a quite basic, but perfectly good curry sauce. However, my eyes were about to be opened!
Atkins & Potts
Recently I received a box of products made by the award winning, speciality food producers Atkins & Potts. Based in Newbury, just across the Hampshire border in Berkshire, Atkins & Potts make a range of sauce, condiments, soups, stocks and dips.
Kashmiri Korma Sauce
One of these items I received was from their World Sauce range, a Kashmiri Korma Sauce. Now, I haven’t had a Korma for goodness knows how long; I previously have found them too sweet for my palate and would usually go for something with a bit sour or a good chilli hit, such as a jalfrezi.
We had some diced pork in the fridge, so I chopped a couple of onions and fried them off along with the pork. I then poured on the Kashmiri Korma Sauce and let it simmer away. When it was ready, I simply served it with some plainly boiled rice so it wouldn’t distract from the flavours of the Korma Sauce and we tucked in.
Well… talk about socks being knocked off! Both I and my girlfriend looked at each other and straight away knew what each other were thinking. We were blown away by how complex the flavours in this curry sauce were. I couldn’t help but grabbing my phone and declaring to the Twitter world, the sheer enjoyment I was experiencing from a pre-made korma curry sauce!
To a tomato base, an interesting mix of spices including roasted jeera, coriander, cayenne, cardamom, paprika & allspice were supported by a massive punch of pineapple, which perfectly rounded off this very well balanced sauce. Tremendous!
British Beef Gravy
Another product I was sent was British Beef Gravy, part of their Classic Dining range. Now this really spoke out to me, because I always have a dilemma when roasting a piece of beef. Do I use the meat juices for gravy or do I roast the potatoes in it, sacrificing a great gravy. I almost always end up doing the latter and make gravy using gravy granules or the equivalent, but as a result am never totally happy with the gravy. However, using this delicious British Beef Gravy which someone else has put all the hard work into, definitely solves my problem. You could also use this gravy as a fantastic base and make your own Peppercorn Sauce or Onion Gravy.
Red Onion & Jalapeno Relish
I mentioned before that I like a good hit of chilli, it’s almost a craving. Atkins & Potts also do a very moreish Red Onion & Jalapeño Relish under their Relish & Chutneys range. Red Onions, Red & Green Jalapeños and White Wine Vinegar go into making this spicy accompaniment that goes very well in sandwiches and delicious with a hard cheese such as cheddar.
Ranch Dressing
At home when we have a Breast of Lamb, we slowly cook it, smash it up and make our own wraps, as this cut of lamb makes fantastic meat for a homemade kebab. I quite often use a mayonnaise as a spread in the wrap. However, Atkins & Potts in their Dressings range have a wonderful Ranch Dressing which adds more flavour than a simple mayonnaise; it works so well in a kebab wrap, being so creamy with a good depth of flavour. I would even consider adding it to a Tomato or Pumpkin Soup instead of sour cream or crème fraiche.
Classic Salsa
Continuing with the chilli theme, I do like a good salsa to go with some tortilla chips, especially when watching a movie. Atkins & Potts do a Classic Salsa under their Inspired Dips range. It’s not overly chunky and therefore, sits on a tortilla chip rather nicely without dribbling off. A base of tomato and onion is spiked with dried jalapeño, followed by coriander to refresh your palate.
Tartare Sauce
If you like eating fish, a traditional accompaniment is tartare sauce. Atkins & Potts have their own Lively Tartare Sauce. Packed with gherkins and salty capers, the mayonnaise is creamy and smooth. You get a textural crunch from shallots and a herby hit of dill.
Chilli Chocolate Spread
At home I like to make Scotch Pancakes every so often. We tend to have them for breakfast on a weekend. In their Chocolate Sauces and Spreads range, Atkins & Potts do a Cheeky Chilli Chocolate Spread that goes really nicely with scotch pancakes. Their chilli chocolate is made from a dark chocolate and a blend of pasilla chillis. It is not a fierce heat, but you do get a subtle warming at the back of your palate.
Atkins & Potts have made me look differently at pre-made products, especially sauces. They are not mass produced, but lovingly created by a team of artisans in their kitchens. They are quite simply very useful when sometimes you just need to save a bit of time, without compromising quality or flavour.
Atkins & Potts Ltd, Studland Estate, Ball Hill, Newbury RG20 0PW
The items that I reviewed were sent as a gift from Atkins & Potts, but all editorial content is my own.
