Blog

Bonfire Night is one of the cosiest times of the year, with cool dark nights perfect for stunning firework displays and huge, warming bonfires. Whether you’re planning to host a bonfire night party, or you want to take a dish to one you’re attending, we have some great suggestions to help you create the most delicious feast. From delicious seasonal veggies to bonfire treats, it’s a great night to gather your friends and family and eat some wonderfully warming food together.

Sausage casserole

As we move from summer to autumn and the weather grows colder, we all start craving warmer dishes to get us through the dark nights. Many of the recipes listed on our website are also perfect as left overs eaten up the next day, making for a delicious lunch during your working day. For some of our top autumn recipes, read on below.

Chilli con carne

The doner kebab has become a staple of British late-night street food, standing alongside the burger van and the pizza place as the stop-off of choice for after-hours diners. Created in Turkey, the inverted cone of seasoned meat turning slowly on its spit in front of a heating element is a familiar sight on the British high street.

Like all traditional foods, the doner kebab has a storied history. If you don’t believe us, check out these four facts about it:

1. The doner kebab is less than 200 years old

While traditional kebabs – that is, ones grilled on a horizontal skewer – go back millennia in the Eastern Mediterranean, the vertically-grilled doner kebab can be traced back no further than 1830, where Hamdi Usta of Kastamonu in Northern Turkey is known to have invented it.

We’ve only been eating doner kebabs in the UK for 50 years

It seems unbelievable, given its popularity, but the first kebab shop in the UK opened in 1966. Hodja Nasreddin, as it was called, opened its doors in Stoke Newington, under its proprietor Cetin Bukey.

3. There are over 20,000 kebab shops in the UK

As of 2015, there were 20,000 kebab shops open for business in the UK, with over 70,000 people employed between them. It is estimated that over 1.3 billion kebabs are purchased nationwide, every day.

4. We care more about kebabs than we do about the Oscars

The 2017 British Kebab Awards (yes, this is a real thing) were held on the same night as the Academy Awards and trended higher on Twitter for the UK. Guest speakers this year included Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan.

With Autumn in full swing, there is nothing like a warming, hearty casserole to brighten up colder, longer nights. With JD sausage casserole seasoning you can create this classic family favourite with minimal prep time and minimal fuss!

Ingredients

For such a staple American dish, the history of chilli con carne is surprisingly shrouded in mystery. Food historians agree that it did not evolve in Mexico, although it appears to be at least inspired by Mexican cuisine. While the true origin story of chilli con carne is not known, theories abound - here are a few of the more popular ones.

The staple of the Poor

Poor families in 16th Century San Antonio are thought to have made a kind of hash which could be the first incarnation of what would become today’s chilli con carne. Not being able to afford much meat, poor families would apparently make up for this by stewing it with chilli peppers - in approximately equal quantities! Try that next time you have friends over, you know, for educational purposes.

The ghost of chilli peppers past

No history of chilli con carne would be complete without mention of Sister Maria of Agreda, who lived her whole life in a convent in Castile, Spain. She apparently would go into deep trances, and after one such episode wrote down the ingredients for chilli con carne. The native Americans - presumably in trance-like states of their own - reportedly saw an apparition they called “The Lady in Blue.” According to legend, this was Sister Maria’s spirit, crossing the Atlantic, presumably because her corporeal form had had enough with convent cuisine.

The prisoner’s plight

One legend of chilli con carne’s origin invites you to take a tour through Texan penal history. Prisons aren’t known for the quality of their grub, as you know, but in a land where chilli peppers were cheap and plentiful, they could be combined with tough meat and old vegetables to make something vaguely edible. They got so good at this that inmates would allegedly compare and rate prisons on the quality of their chilli.

The cowboy’s travel food

Some say the first chilli recipes - or at least seasonings - were invented by cowboys. Riding off into sunsets was a tiresome profession, and cowboys would make a hand blended stock made of dried and ground meat fat, chilli peppers, and other spices to take on the road. Although surely not as healthy as the no sugar, low fat recipes available today, this would do the job until they reached the next saloon.

A well cut, high quality piece of steak is a beautiful thing, especially if you season and cook it to perfection. Steaks are the ideal choice if you want a quick but delicious dinner, as the meat can be fried up within minutes - far more luxurious than a ready meal, we think you’ll agree!

Better yet, when you use low calorie cooking spray and lean meat, steak doesn't have to be an unhealthy option. Add some delicious sides to your steak and you have the perfect meal for a relaxed weekend evening or a quick dinner party dish.

Have a look at our recipe below to learn how to cook a juicy, succulent steak:

1. Season the steak

The doner kebab as we know it today is a staple fast food sold on street corners all around the world. It’s easy to assume, due to its mass popularity and global consumption, that it came into existence hundreds of years ago and has been enjoyed ever since. However, the opposite is true.

Where did it all begin?

The doner kebab (or more accurately the döner kebab) first came into existence in 1972, where it was first sold in West Berlin, just across the road from the popular Bahnhof Zoo. However, contrary to immediate belief, the doner kebab is not of German origins, but instead, its roots can be traced back to Turkish descent.

The doner’s creator, Kadir Nurman, was a Turkish worker who, in 1960, joined tens of thousands of other Turkish workers who emigrated to Stuttgart in order to join the German labour force. 6 years later he moved to Berlin where he worked in the printing business for a further 6 years until his idea was born. He noticed that, despite the abundance of workers in Berlin, there was not enough great-tasting and filling on-the-go food that could be purchased.

Nurman was inspired by Turkish royalty who, for many years, had been accustomed to being served great quality meats on skewers along with rice and vegetables. He decided to mimic the idea but tailor it for the masses, by offering it in a rolled up bread called Durum. This made it more affordable and, more importantly, made it easy to eat on-the-go.

How do you correctly prepare a kebab?

Today, a kebab is enjoyed in various forms but, most popularly, it is served in a white pitta with sliced vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce and onion. For many, the doner kebab is a staple of their diet, but some are concerned over the healthiness of eating such a meal so frequently. However, there is a tastier and healthier way to enjoy this sought after treat.

Sometimes we all deserve a little treat. Cheat nights might involve adding a fully loaded dressing to your salad or sweet caramel to your popcorn, but, while tasty, these can sometimes tip the balance too far towards a less healthy meal. Our spice blends offer a scrumptiously healthy alternative - our JD Seasonings Chips and Wedges pack is just one spice blend choice that will definitely make an interesting meal.

Mixing spices in the perfect quantities for a bit of a kick and that warming taste can be hard to master, but we've done the hard work for you. This perfectly balanced spice mix has both heat from paprika and sweetness from garlic. Presented with a handy shopping list and recipe, this seasoning kit is a great way to try out a rub, or stock up for a special meal.

A natural mix

Cottage pie is an easy to make and much-loved dish dating back to the 18th century. The dish is popular during cooler autumn and winter months, and is a simple one pot dish that can serve a family, or large group of people. The combination of veg, potato and meat with rich, thick gravy sauce is delicious when eaten after a day spent enjoying the cold country air of winter, or after a long tiring day at home. The simple dish has an interesting history behind it, which you can share with your loved ones as you serve up your next pie!

What is cottage pie?

One of the common conversations around cottage pie is how it differentiates from shepherd’s pie. As the name suggests, shepherd’s pie contains lamb meat, whereas cottage pie as it is made nowadays contains beef and usually both meats come in mince form. The name ‘cottage’ was originally given to the pie when potatoes were first being introduced to the UK, and were made affordable for peasants. Many peasants who would eat this type of pie lived in cottages at the time – hence the creation of the name!

The name cottage pie was used around a century earlier than shepherd’s pie but both have been used interchangeably to describe almost the same dish. By topping the potato ‘lid’ of the pie with breadcrumbs, you’re actually turning it from a cottage pie into a Cumberland pie.

Global pie

For many years in Scotland, a cottage pie was traditionally made with pastry instead of potatoes, something we would recognise now as a meat and vegetable pie. When Britain ruled India, many Indian chefs would cook shepherd’s pie rather than cottage pie for their British military seniors as the cow is considered a sacred animal in many parts of the country. The dish was served up for tiffin, which was regarded as a light snack, even though the dish is mostly eaten as a full meal nowadays.

Whether you’re cooking for long summer barbecue nights or a cosy winter supper, a healthy and warming Mexican meal is a good value, classic family supper. And when you can easily throw it together with one of our handmade spice blends, it’s even better!

Mexican food and its deep and tasty flavours have evolved over centuries. The ideas behind tortilla, salsa and enchiladas come to us straight from the Aztecs. And they're still as juicy and enjoyable for today's dinner table.

Easy health Mexican recipes

There’s something for everyone in the JD Seasonings healthy flavours range to ramp up for the taste explosion in a variety of Mexican-inspired dishes. The delicious chilli con carne mix is an absolute classic and has a subtle and smoky mix of chilli, garlic granules, onion powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and thyme.

Add it to some lean minced beef and kidney beans and you’ve got a tasty slimming treat. Add some sour cream on top for a cooling twist if you’re not watching your waistline. And there’s no sugar or other nasties hidden in there – it’s 100% natural.

Healthy Mexican meals for the family

Our fajita mix ramps up the paprika to the next level in a mix that brings together its deep smokiness with garlic granules, cumin, onion powder, oregano and chilli. These make for a simple and healthy weeknight dinner. It’s also a fantastic way to get the kids involved in healthy eating. Let them help you stir the mix into simple skinned and sliced chicken then let them loose with fresh salad to fill their own tortilla wraps.