Axel and Sophie Steenbergs Blog: News, Views and Chat about Spices, Tea, Recipes and the Environment

Tasty treats from STeenbergs

A mixture of looking at new products and firm favourites for a delicious summer from Steenbergs.

We’ve also got some summer offers on as well as lots of new products and recipe ideas. Hope you have a wonderful July from us all here at Steenbergs.

Summer special offers from Steenbergs

We are currently offering 10 per cent off vitamins and supplements and as an introductory offer to cereals we are also giving 10 % off organic corn flakes and grape nuts.

So it’s a good time to stock up on old favourites or try something new.

Home baking gets some new additions

They’re here – natural bitter almond extract, and organic orange flower water. We’re very excited about these new additions to our home baking flavouring range. The almond extract goes wonderfully in sweet pastries, macaroons, marzipan and with apricots amongst many other things. The orange flower water works well with fruit and in madelaines.

This joins our very popular organic Fairtrade vanilla extract, organic rose water and organic peppermint extract to form the core of our home bakery range. Next month the flavoured sugars, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder will join them with colourful labels.

We stock a range of organic and ethical home bakery ingredients from organic sultanas, currants and raisins to organic flour (including gluten free versions) and unbleached baking paper and recycled aluminium foil.

Paprika – just arrived from Spain

One of the lovely things about the fact that Steenbergs has now been going for nearly 6 years is that we have developed strong links with our growers. We’ve just had delivery of another delicious harvest of organic paprika and natural smoked paprika from our Spanish growers in Murcia, south-east of Spain. This family run company has been going since 1880 growing, drying and grinding this delicious wonderful paprika. They are a wonderful company to work with and their paprika is exceptional – intense in colour with a lovely sweet flavour.

Jams, chutneys and marmalade – Glenroyd give us the low down

Glenroyd Organics is Dean & Michelle (husband and wife) based in Barnsley in Yorkshire. They’re both complete foodies and when Michelle isn’t making Glenroyd’s delicious chutneys, mustards and jam, she’s reading recipe books and magazines for new ideas or watching foodie programmes. Dean is blessed with the enviable job of product testing and enjoying all the culinary delights!

They admit to always having been foodies and their best days and nights have been spent sharing great food and drink whether it be on fantastic holidays, with family & friends or simply chilling out together with some treats over the weekend.

The enjoyment of great food & drink and hectic professional lives naturally led to trying out recipes in the kitchen for those luxury weekend chill out treats and the beginnings of Glenroyd Organics was born…

Axel and Sophie’s favourite Glenroyd products – organic beetroot chutney, organic chilli jam, which the family can get through pots of – on the sweet side it has to be blackcurrant jam.

“Pots of gold” and other sightings

We were delighted to be listed in The Independent’s top 50 for Food websites this June – our first appearance on this list compiled annually where the Steenbergs jars were described as “pots of gold”. Whilst our Madras curry was suggested by that wonderful ethical cook – Rose Prince – in The Telegraph whilst discussing making the perfect coronation chicken.

Steenbergs jars were also spotted by one eagle eye fan being used by comedienne and actress Helen Lederer on BBC Celebrity Masterchef.

Lifestyle magazine continues its series using Steenbergs products.  Lifestyle issue 12 covers French cooking with our French box – go to pages 16-17, issue 11, page 34 – 35 gives some ideas on Thai cooking using our Thai box.

Many thanks for all the support.

Za’atar and sumach top sellers

Many of you have come to us because of the wonderful Ottolenghi  – the Cookbook - written by the Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.  This London based restaurant draws on numerous culinary traditions from Persia to California, focussing particularly on the Mediterranean. There are now 4 of these restaurants in Islington, Belgravia, Kensington and Notting Hill.  The book was kind enough to mention us in regard to buying sumac and za’atar. In the book, they are recommended as great garnishes for a plate of hummus or labneh – a type of Arab cheese. They also recommend them for salads and roasted meats.

New products

At Steenbergs.co.uk we often introduce new products. Recently we’ve added cereals and cereal bars - this offers everything from organic mueslis (with or without raisins), the classic grapenuts and organic cornflakes. We’ve also pulled out our free from non Steenberg products – all Steenbergs blends are gluten free, dairy free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans – this new section includes gluten free bread mixes and chocolate cakes and dairy free chocolate drops and chocolate spreads. We’ve also introduced a number of Mediterranean items including olives, pesto, pasta and sun-dried tomatoes. We add to the shop regularly so don’t forget to check our What’s new section.

Blogs and stockists

Latest blog updates including a number of items about summer cooking including for delicious lunches in the office and the delights of home-made cooking.

We continually update our list of stockists - which grows daily – just tap in your postcode and find your nearest stockist. However, we also have a number of distributors, particularly on the home bakery range, so we don’t always know which shops stock us!