Lakelovers Meet Hawkshead Relish

What’s a dining table without chutney, relish and flavoursome sauces?

We were given the opportunity to try Hawkshead Relish, a local Lake District delicacy.

Read our fact-filled guide below to learn more about this delicious condiment, how it’s made and its fascinating history!

Lakelovers Meet Hawkshead Relish

Handmade in the English Lake District

© Hawkshead Relish

Open up a jar of Hawkshead Relish, handmade in the pretty South Lakeland village of Hawkshead. Enjoy a condiment blended with regional flavours. Catch hints of damson and toasted, crushed spices from the East.

Wrapped in classic black and white packaging, the story of Hawkshead Relish is firmly rooted in its namesake village.

We were invited to find out more…

Good Things Come in La’al Packages

The village of Hawkshead, built around a handsome little church that hugs a thimble of a hill, is a miniature landscape itself. In its former glory, the village was once a bustling wool trade.

Today, the jumbled streets are lined with white-washed buildings decorated with black-framed windows. It’s easy to see where the inspiration behind Hawkshead Relishes black and white packagaing come from.

Interestingly, there are no pavements or signposts in the village. Instead, you’ll be drawn along rounded buildings, just as heavily-laden horse and carts of the past would have done.

Much of Hawkshead is owned and preserved by the National Trust. Paired with its pedestrianised streets, Hawkshead is like wandering through a Medieval village.

Within this tiny warren, there are 38 buildings of historical importance, each well-worth a visit. Inside one particular building is a story that lives on today. That is the tale of Hawkshead Relish.

From Humble Beginnings . . .

The main square is home to the award-winning Hawkshead Relish, one of Hawkshead’s best-known businesses. Starting its life in 1999, this pint-sized building was originally a bustling cafe and restaurant, owned by Mark and Maria Whitehead.

This is where the world-renowned Westmorland Chutney was first lovingly prepared. The ambitions, as well as the flavours coming from this little quaint café, were always big.

After 2 years of café trade, the Whitehead family decided to throw themselves into their innovative relish business. They had to take a window out to get the 300-litre relish pan inside! They had no idea that eight years later, they would have to leave the café behind as a shop to move into a larger kitchen.

Lakelovers staff getting stuck in mixing some world-first Black Ketchup Chutney at Hawkshead Relish

Keeping their base in Hawkshead, they moved production just down the road. Business was set up in a converted 16th Century cruck barn, with 4 ginormous relish pans. The kitchen was purpose-built to sit like a giant freezer, not touching the walls of the Grade I listed building.

Today, the kitchen plays host to the original Hawkshead Relish pan. This pan, that could make 11 ½ jars of chutney, seems miniature in comparison to the vats that can create 600 jars a go.

The 30-strong team at Hawkshead Relish were responsible for producing 28 tonnes of chutney in one month alone.

The Spice Trail

Whilst the scale is much larger than Mark and Maria’s original set up, the cooking process is exactly the same. All 600 jars made a day are hand-produced from locally-sourced ingredients. They also use local suppliers for exported delicacies, such as dried fruits, sugars and flavoursome spices.

This family-run business are committed to an artisan product. They associate themselves with like-minded producers, such as the award-winning Anglesey Sea Salt.

It is with these spices where the real story of Hawkshead Relish began. Medieval Hawkshead was home to a thriving woollen trade. Here the region’s wool and yarns were traded for rum, dried fruits, sugar and spices.

It was these ingredients that inspired Maria and Mark’s first relish, the Westmorland Chutney. The original recipe comprised of diced onion, acetic acid, sugar, apricot, dates, prunes, ginger, salt and allspice.

The Whiteheads regularly travel to India to ensure they use the freshest and thus headiest of flavours.

. . . To Global Couture

Today is far from the end of Hawkshead Relish’s journey. Recently, Vogue caught onto their latest chocolate MUDD collection. The exclusive Couture range of jars, imported from Italy, will bring elegance to any dining table. They’ve even caught the attention of Tatler’s socialites.

Hawkshead Relish are the proud winners of over 50 great taste awards. The condiment was even a finalist for the 2017 Grocer’s New Product Award, losing out happily to mass-producers Heinz.

Black Garlic Ketchup – the modern store cupboard essential only made by Hawkshead Relish.

Hawkshead Relish is stocked in over 500 shops in 20 countries. Some high-end grocery brands work in collaboration with Hawkshead Relish to create bespoke own-label chutneys and sauces.

The brand currently offer 120 products, all of which are 100% gluten and nut-free. No bulking agents are used, and the products are free from artificial colourings.

The 2017 Black Garlic Ketchup, for example, owes its super-rich colour to a very slow, low heat and high humidity cooking process. This was a recipe that took Mark a year to perfect. Perfect it is. Just add some chunky potato wedges – reet grand!

Hawkshead Holidays

We hope that this tale has piqued your interest in the pretty village of Hawkshead as much as it did us. Thank you, Hawkshead Relish, for a wonderful visit and tasting session.

We hope to see your zesty Five Fruit Marmalade on the breakfast tables of our Hawkshead Cottages. We love that Mark created this preserve especially for Maria, packed with fruit to her exacting taste.

With daughters Izzy and Abbie at the helm, the story of Hawkshead Relish is warming and impressive. 330K jars of sticky, sweet, tangy, sour and spicy goodness is impressive!

We can’t wait for the next flavour innovation! We love the recognisable black and white packaging that your original monochrome printer created.

Tempted to sample the delicious flavours of Hawkshead Relish for yourself? Browse our fabulous collection of Hawkshead cottages today and position yourself in the heart of the action!

You can even plan your thrilling holiday itinerary ahead of time with our Hawkshead village guide!

And after filling up on these delicious condiments, put your energy to work on one of our best walks in the Lake District.

Images courtesy of: David Nicholls – (CC BY-NC 2.0)