5 Essential Condiments … and the Sandwiches they Love

Dijonnaise Mayonnaise, mustard, together at last … This is a ham sandwich essential: hot, but not so harsh as to make you wince your nasal passages inside-out. It also takes glum mushrooms on toast to an exalted level – fry your fungi till soft and add a dessert spoon of Dijonnaise (along with some fresh parsley, a splash of full cream and salt ?n? pepper to taste). Served on a nice sourdough, this rocks.

Light Soy Sauce I like to use Light Soy Sauce on my weekend eggs, alternating between runny soft-poached, or runny deep-fried (crisped and bubbled up in an inch of hot olive oil, in a small skillet). Either way, they get a generous glug of Light Soy Sauce to bring out the baser instincts of their hot yolks. Serve ?em up on generously-buttered (and fried, if you’re feeling particularly decadent) slices of buttermilk soda bread. (For cooking in more complex dishes, I prefer a darker style of soy – older and more unctuous, its flavour develops and intensifies through cooking, bringing out that all-important salty/umami yumminess.)

Violet Mustard Uniquely flavoured … once tried, this ancient Limousin favourite is hard to forget. Made traditionally, with mustard seeds, but with the additional flavour layers of black grape must, red wine vinegar and any number of, often secret, spices, violet mustard is palate-dazzlingly delicious. Slather over warm black pudding (or any cold cuts, but especially Bayonne ham) and rocket served on soft-white fluffy rolls.

Hoisin Traditionally a quack cure, if you will, sweet and salty hoisin has always ratcheted gamey duck up a flavour notch – served with the equally complimentary cucumber and spring onion in delicate pancakes. The sauce is also a delicious accompaniment to other game bird packages. Try generous dollops of garlicky hoisin on medium-rare fried wood pigeon breasts (in season November to February), sliced thinly on warm, buttered baguettes with a handful of coriander and your favourite pickles.

Sriracha Hot, hot, hot, Sriracha is often more palatable in a sandwich when combined with soothing mayonnaise to make ‘srirachannaise?. The sauce has become a bit of a cult classic as its reputation as an ?add to anything? condiment has gained popularity with students and internet hot sauce aficionados. I find Sriracha goes particularly well with pork, Chinese style. So it works great with juicy five spice pulled pork and crisp cress on a floury bap with whatever other (appropriate) extras you want to squeeze in there too.