All was revealed when to package arrived as this seasoning doesn’t just contain salt and pepper, it’s a spice and seasoning mix leaning heavily towards the Chinese sphere of cuisine. You can tell that the second you give it a smell, with its sweet aniseed pungency and nose tickling chilli note.

Giving it a quick taste straight out of the box those flavours mellow together and your left with a salty, spicy, umami taste in the mouth, coming together as a seasoning rather than a flavour. This is good as now we can confidently use it in a range of cuisines.

Now let’s get this straight out of the way, the Chinese link is underlined by the fact that this product contains MSG. I know a lot of people who don’t like the idea of MSG and some who swear they suffer from ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome’ and can’t tolerate the stuff.

There doesn’t seem to be any definitive evidence for intolerance to MSG, but if you are one of the people above, this product will not be for you.

For the rest of us get stuck in! I tried this on a few things but I found is really comes to life on meat, seafood.and for all your noodle dishes. I used it to enhance some packet ramen to which I added some leftover roast chicken and spring onion,,,delicious!

The final thing I tried it on was some lovely pork steaks and the seasoning suited it down to the ground.

It does give a really rounded seasoning and doesn’t come across overly Asian so it is a versatile product.

I also found that if you shake it around you can avoid the chilli flakes, cos you know sometimes even I don’t have to have food with heat.

I think this is going to be fantastic for barbeque season (pun intended!) as you can use this on pretty much anything.

Feeling that this used on BBQ’d chicken wings or aubergine if you’re veggie is going to be something special and simple to make.

Get yours over at https://kmcseasoning.co.uk/ and enhance your season!

Remember to tell me what you think of KMC Salt & Pepper Seasoning Mix in the comments below.

Michael Robinson

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The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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The post KMC Salt & Pepper Seasoning Mix – Review appeared first on Food on the Blog. Post by The Food Curator

I had to try some on its own and the taste is as powerful as Worcestershire sauce or Thai fish sauce. It’s vegan though and takes its depth of flavour from, well, mushrooms of course. It’s a great balance of umami and acidity.

It also has a heritage older than most things you will see on Antiques Roadshow, Geo Watkins has been making this since 1830 and its unique taste has made this a true British kitchen great.

They gave me a recipe to try, Veggie Ramen Bowls which I did modify a little, the spinach was switched out for kale as I love the flavour, and the chilli was swopped for Shichimi Togarashi as I had some in the cupboard. But otherwise I stuck faithfully to the supplied recipe, and I have to say it worked really well. Flavourful and warming, just the type of thing you need as we move into autumn.

As you know I am a big fan of Japanese soups and always looking for ways to power up the flavour and make it a little different and Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup does this wonderfully.

Recipe:

Vegetarian Ramen Bowls

(Serves 4)

• 1 litre vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp miso paste
• 2 tbsp Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 50 g piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 200 g fresh spinach
• 200 g mushrooms
• 200 g ramen noodles
• 4 eggs
• 60 g coriander, chopped
• 5 spring onions, chopped
• 1 red chilli pepper
• Sesame seeds and sesame oil, to serve

METHOD:

1. In a large pot, combine the vegetable broth, miso and Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup.
2. Place a pot over a medium heat and add onion, garlic cloves and fresh ginger.
3. Bring to boil and reduce the heat to low.
4. Add fresh spinach and mushrooms and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Cook 200 g ramen noodles following the pack instructions, when ready take them out from the water and use the same pot to boil 4 eggs.
6. Divide the noodles between four bowls.
7. Simmer the eggs for around 10 minutes and let them cool under the cold water. Peel and cut into halves.
8. Ladle the soup into earlier prepared serving bowls with noodles.
9. Top with the eggs, coriander, spring onions, chilli, sesame seeds and sesame oil.

It’s well worth having a bottle of Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup in the cupboard, it’s so versatile you can add it to stews, casseroles, soups and more.

Available Sainsbury’s, Amazon, Waitrose, Ocado, specialist outlets and in a deli near you. RRP £1.99.

Remember to tell me about your kitchen adventures with Geo Watkins in the comments below.

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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The post Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup Review appeared first on Food on the Blog. Post by The Food Curator

It must be the most ancient seasoning in human history, even our cave dwelling ancestors would have known to sprinkle a little salt on their catch of the day. Imagine even earlier when the first humans emerged they lived by the coast, giving them access to as much salt as they could ever want.

Nowadays we seem to fear salt, and with good reason. It known to increase blood pressure and that’s not too good for the old ticker. We do however need it to live, but its other trick is nothing less than miraculous.

Quite simply it’s a flavour enhancer with no flavour of its own, therefore everything it touches becomes deeper in flavour and more delicious.

You get so many varieties these days compared to back in the day when it was table salt only. Like most I use sea salt, as it has a more gentle approach than table salt. I would recommend good quality sea salt to anyone as a must have.

So what about the pinch of salt (or sometimes just salt) us cooks tell you to add to a dish. Well it’s down to personal taste but the general rule seems to be a ‘pinch’ is not really enough. If I tell you that to season 500g (1lb) o beef you need a level teaspoon of sea salt as a minimum that’s actually the equivalent of about 3 decent sized pinches.

So what I advise people to do is take a level teaspoon of salt and drop it in the palm of your hand and feel it. Feel and see what that amount is, trust me it will come in handy during your future kitchen adventures!

Remember to tell me which salt you use and if you use different types for different dishes.

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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The post A Pinch of Salt appeared first on Food on the Blog. Post by The Food Curator