Salt
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The very best kind of salt for all cooking is, in my opinion, English sea salt from Maldon, in Essex. It's not a powdery pouring salt that contains chemicals to stop it getting damp and make it pour freely, but an absolutely pure salt that tastes of the sea. If you do a side-by-side tasting you'll find it is less sharp but somehow saltier (so you need to use less).
Maldon salt consists of very pretty, small white crystalline flakes that crush very easily between your fingers for cooking with. For the table, use it either in a good-quality salt mill or a small salt cellar. Crushed sea salt gives jacket potatoes a really crispy crust, and it's wonderful coarsely crushed over chips (or anything fried).
I once discovered by accident, sitting at a restaurant table, that a fat, chunky chip wrapped in a rocket leaf, then dipped first in mayonnaise, then in sea salt, is a quite wickedly brilliant combination!
Serves 6Salmon in Champagne Sauce
Doesn’t this gorgeous salmon recipe look indulgent? The good news is that it’s a real doddle to make, with a buttery shallot sauce that adds to the wow factor! Perfect for a special occasion…
Serves 4Braised Steak with a Wild Mushroom and Madeira Sauce
Wintry comfort food at its best – and busy cooks will be pleased to hear that you can use a ready-made mushroom sauce to make it! Then just put your feet up while it bubbles away for a couple of hours.
Serves 4Marinated Mushrooms with Garlic and Smoked Pimentón Mayonnaise
Veggies will love this recipe – marinating mushrooms adds masses of flavour. Serve them with a sweet-spice pimenton mayonnaise for dipping.
Serves 2Chicken Paprika
With soured cream and paprika, this popular dish – one of your favourites on the site – owes more than a little to a Hungarian goulash. A real winner for those who love wintry, one-pot dishes packed with flavour!
Serves 2Toad-in-the-Hole Easy
Ready-made Yorkshire puddings come to the rescue of those for whom batter is one of life’s mysteries, allowing you to rustle up one of this country’s unsung delicacies in no time at all.
