Condensed, like a relish. We don't relish a long story.

Like all good stories, this one starts with seafaring trade, a swashbuckling adventure with some good and some bad mixed in.

In the 1800s, English merchant mariners sailed the world looking for lands to conquer and treasures to bring back to the King. And they found plenty. But the most enduring wealth they carried home wasn't gold—it was food.

Flavors that made the long voyage bearable, that turned stale crackers and brackish water into something worth eating.

From those journeys came India's influence on the English table: Chicken Tikka Masala became England's unofficial national dish. Chai became tea, or as we like to say, Chai Tea, Tea Tea, same thing. And chutneys became a staple. To this day, the British do not relish a meal without, well, Relish.

And Relish is exactly what we're sharing today. Now, some of you may not relish the thought, but we're bringing you a whole spread of relishes perfect for a summer picnic, and all it takes is popping the top.

A relish is a coarse, seasoned condiment built to sharpen and elevate whatever it sits beside, working through contrast, not complement.

We relish the way it concentrates flavor and makes every next bite more interesting than the last.

Just arrived!

Hawkshead Relish Company not only makes great relish and chutney, they came out with a great cookbook, Embellish with Relish, by Maria Whitehead, which is chock full of quick and delicious recipe ideas using their products. It's a great thing to have around when you need a quick recipe idea, and have a nice collection of Hawkshead Relish products in your panty, which I highly recommend. Here is one of them.

Overall, this is a winner; it is friendly, it is a condiment that can be put on a sandwich, or combined into recipes for an acceleration of goodness.

To the nose, there is an aggressive jump up into your nostrils as you smell cardamom, turmeric and hot peppers. This is followed by a feel of citrus that turns into acid.

Leave the cover off and the acidic volatiles evaporate and what remains is the cardamom, turmeric and the hint of pepper. There is also a nose of pickling.

The initial whole mouth texture is the mango, which is the underlying taste, though you would be hard pressed to exclaim: I taste mango!

Then there is the sauce which is smooth like a nice thick syrup, and it contains all the flavors.

There is the sweetness of the mango and sugar, and there is the sour sweet of the lemon and lime, and there is the melding of all the spices. It's pretty tasty!

Overall though it is a combination of everything into one. In use you would never view it as separate elements, only as one glorious flavor.

It's the complexity of all the flavors that makes it tongue smacking good!

Just imagine what it would be like with Kerelan Mango Chicken!

The bottle is a wonderful mustard color. As pure as the ground seed it was made from!

When you twist the cap you will get a nice metal pop (at least for me)!

To the nose, it is a mustardy whiff with a mix of sweet and a bunch of familiar smells that I couldn't quite put my nose on.

Dip your fork in, the bottle's neck is too small for a spoon, and the first taste you are rewarded with is smooth sweet mustard with a hint of BBQ and grill, with a light finish of smokiness and a twist.

It is the twist that makes it interesting. Not identifiable, yet familiar and fun.

Do not think this is going to be some super smoky mustard, instead it is a mustard that leans towards the campfire.

Perfect for a hot dog in a bun, it conjures up imagery of sitting by the campfire in the woods or your feet up while you sit in the porch swing watching the ducks swim by in the lake.

This is a good mustard that is different in a great way!

It smells like relish, though it doesn't have that sweet relish sugar thing going on.

To the mouth, it is everything a pickle relish would want to be. It is pickle-y, it has a natural sweetness to it. It has texture and crunch and just the right twinge of acid.

This is good stuff. Good enough to eat all alone on a spoon...and it makes you think of all the dogs and burgers that would be happy to have this relish join the party in your mouth!

There are bits of bite in there as well. Though maybe the very best thing here is that this relish is perfect for pouring. No need to find a spoon to scoop and spread (which I dread), instead you just pour!

This is so easy to create and even easier to eat! The ingredients matter and when they come together you feel complete.

Packed with capsicum sweet peppers and mixed with Hawkshead's own blend of roasted spices and herbs, these peppers are a fantastic burst of flavors. If you love peppers, you'll love this pickle!

Open the jar and the color of turmeric dominates the scene. You can see little bits of peppers, ginger seeds and spices. Dip your spoon in cautiously and the aromas escape the surface. Get close with your nose to get a good whiff. It's a super blend of all the spices and the pepper together.

Recipe ideas for this sweet red pepper relish include stuffing a teaspoon in a chicken breast before roasting, or stirring through some mashed potatoes for serving with an Indian curry. Sweet Pepper Pickle paired with goat cheese, makes a great quiche filling.

What's Happening in the Store

Did you know the store often has more? And we have 2 Parking Lots!

Come, taste and check it out! Pick your favorite and meet friends new and old who all love food. We love it when you hang out!

May/June, 2026
Monday - Saturday 10am-5pm
ChefShop Retail Shop, 1425 Elliott Ave West, Seattle

History tells us lemon curd started as a curd—lemon acidulating cream forming curds that were then separated from the whey via cheesecloth. Thankfully the modern version involves lots of lemon, butter and sugar and it is smooth not lumpy!

The bits of lemon zest give this otherwise super-smooth lemon curd something extra special!

Perfect on toast for your afternoon tea, or use it to fill little pastry cups and top with whipped cream for a quick and delicious pot-luck dessert.

This is a straightforward and easy to do recipe. A little spice toasting fun, a few minutes on the stove, and you're done! It's the Hot Garlic Pickle that really makes this recipe shine.

There are cloves of garlic that await you; that is what you see instantly, immediately!

After the shock of seeing cloves of garlic sitting on top, curiosity creates a strong desire to pop a clove into your mouth to taste.

First and foremost the garlic is smooth and friendly (you should have no fear of eating this clove of garlic) and the spices are tangy-tingly and fun. There is heat for sure but not over the top. More like friendly, in-your-face heat. I want to meet you heat. Your lips could tingle, too.

"This hot garlic pickle was developed after a trip to Madras, during which we ate at a restaurant that served up a main course heavily seasoned with garlic and spices. The flavours were outstanding, and Mark's notebook immediately came out; he was convinced that it would work as a pickle." -- Maria Whitehead.

It is a delicious accompaniment to life!

The Rainier cherry would not exist without a catastrophe. Harold Fogle had just completed his doctorate at the University of Minnesota and accepted a research position at Washington State University's Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser, Washington, where he was assigned to build a peach breeding program.

Then the winter of 1949 intervened. A severe freeze destroyed the entire WSU peach and nectarine breeding stock overnight. With nothing left to work with, Fogle turned to the fruit trees that had survived—the sweet cherry varieties of the Pacific Northwest.

His goal was specific: develop a new variety to complement and extend the frustratingly brief harvest season of the Bing. He crossed the Bing with the Van in 1952 by hand-transferring pollen between two specific parent varieties with known characteristics, in the same controlled cross-pollination technique described in the Black Pearl's origin story. What came back was something he had not anticipated: a golden-yellow cherry with a delicate pink-red blush. "I was just as surprised as anyone that 'white' ones showed up," he told the Seattle Times years later. "We didn't really understand the genetics of cherries."

The variety spent years in trials under the designation P 1-680 before being officially released for commercial cultivation in 1960, named for Mount Rainier which is the highest peak in the Cascade Range.

Both, Bing and Van carried recessive traits affecting fruit color, which resulted in the new cherry's pale color. A biological surprise that Fogle could not have predicted, and that has made the Rainier instantly recognizable ever since. The richly red parents produced a golden child.

These, or any of the small packets of peels, are so crazy good! Take them with you wherever you go. In the daypack, in the briefcase, in your purse or glovebox, they satisfy, and they make you happy, too.

I first took them on a plane to photograph, and then, like so many of my subjects, I ate them. And it was so much better than the peanut M&M's I had squirreled away in my back pack....

Setouchi Lemon is a prized variety of lemon grown in the Setouchi region of Japan, which encompasses several coastal areas along the Seto Inland Sea, including parts of Hiroshima, Ehime, and Kagawa Prefectures.

This area is known for its mild climate, clean air, and abundant sunshine which are ideal conditions for cultivating high-quality citrus.

Setouchi Lemons are less tart and acidic than typical lemons. They strike a beautiful balance between sweet and sour, making them ideal for a variety of dishes and drinks.

The rind is highly aromatic and often used in cooking, baking, or zesting. It has floral and almost herbaceous undertones.

They are traveling with me as my companion....

RV camping or tent camping or fireplace camping at home. Easy to make from microwave to stove top to boiling in the pouch as it takes just a few minutes.

And the result is way better than you expect. Always!

It takes almost no time at all to make. You can microwave for 2 minutes or boil for 4 minutes, open into a bowl and eat. That's it.

I cut the top off with one of my cool kitchen shears (I am currently obsessed with finding scissors of all kinds to use in the kitchen) though really any scissors will do, and poured the contents into one of my favorite bowls, and voila, lunch.

How good is it? Pretty gosh darn good! I was going to share with my son, and I did quietly yell for him to come and try, but he couldn't hear me, so I ate the whole thing and enjoyed every single bite.

This is a Northwest chowder with Smoked Wild Keta Salmon in a cream base. It is indeed gluten-free and thus has no bad mouth-feel of too much filler/thickener that you get at Fish and Chips places. It is one of my son's favorite treats now.

Nothing like a bowl of warm fish food to make a day a little better! Enjoy!

This delectable couscous is much larger and has a creamier texture than the tiny, fluffy North African version. Served warm, this pearl-like pasta is pure comfort food.

In Lebanon, where it may be known as "maftoul," it is traditionally served pilaf-style with chicken or lamb. Cook it with a little vegetable stock, and then add some petit black lentils, chopped peppers, olives, onions, tomatoes, herbs, a good squeeze of lemon juice and some olive oil for a superb salad.

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Savory Dill Pancakes with Smoked Salmon Recipe

— Louise M., Newsletter Reader

Professional pastry chefs are using ChefShop Grande Brut because it does several things well at once: deep flavor, smooth texture, rich color, easy blending, low acidity, and real versatility across applications. It is a many-trick cocoa powder.

We stock it now because after working with it ourselves, we found it spectacular! It makes a giant difference!

ChefShop Grande Brut contains 22% to 24% cocoa butter. That is significantly higher than most cocoa powders on the market, and it is one of the main reasons we chose it. That extra cocoa butter is not a minor detail. It changes how the cocoa tastes, how it blends, and what your finished desserts actually feel like.

Most people focus on cocoa percentage (and with cocoa powder it is always 100% as it has no sugar) and overlook fat content entirely. It is the balance between cocoa mass and cocoa butter that matters. Cocoa butter is the natural fat in the cacao bean, and it shapes everything about how cocoa performs in a recipe.

Shop now for ChefShop Grande Brut Cocoa Powder here!

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