Introducing Mandy's Horseradish Sauce and Mandy's Horseradish & Apricot
Mustard.
Grown and nurtured in paddocks on the Canterbury plains, and then hand-picked, hand-peeled and small-batch bottled to order in glass jars right here in Christchurch, by Mandy Steel herself.
The processing is a laborious procedure, and Mandy sometimes wears goggles to help protect against the strong fumes (which is 100 times more potent than onions).
Horseradish is not a common herb to have in New Zealand gardens so Mandy is the largest grower of Horseradish in NZ with two plots approximately equating to 6 acres of plants grown on the Canterbury plains.
Canterbury provides the perfect backdrop for growing horseradish with its crisp winter frosts, possible chance of snow (which is a natural fertilizer for the crop), balanced with hot summer days and sufficient rainfall. These factors all contribute to the natural pungency of the plants giving the sauces their highly regarded pepperiness.
The crops are harvested all year round on a weekly basis. The plants take about 1 year to 18 months to grow, and once harvested they will regenerate for the following year. The crop has gnarly roots which grow knee high leaves in the spring.
Mandy's Horseradish Sauce is fantastic (naturally) with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Don’t stop at roast beef! Mandy's Horseradish Sauce is just as delicious with salmon, trout, lamb, corned beef and venison.
The Horseradish Apricot Mustard makes an excellent flavouring for vinaigrette.
Add a spoonful of the Horseradish Sauce to give your Bloody Mary/Virgin Mary an extra kick!
When making a kumara and crispy bacon salad, try tossing some of the Horseradish Apricot Mustard and olive oil through before baking to caramelise the kumara.
Use the Horseradish Apricot Mustard as a roast meat glaze, or over your Christmas ham – mix with olive oil, and spread over the meat during the last 20 minutes in the oven.
Try Horseradish mashed potato and Horseradish Aioli.
Mix Mandy's Horseradish Sauce with sour cream or crème fraiche, a little bit of chopped dill, combine and serve on crostini with smoked salmon.
Make a horseradish butter to melt on top of your steak or crayfish.
Cream and white wine sauces are gently enhanced with either the Horseradish Sauce or the Mustard.
Use the Horseradish Sauce instead of butter on asparagus and baked potatoes.
Add a couple of spoonfuls of the Horseradish Sauce to homemade hummus.
Great with grated raw beetroot (seriously!) Just add a couple tablespoons of the Horseradish Sauce and mix together.
Combine the Horseradish Apricot Mustard with olive oil and toss through fresh pasta.
Make a horseradish mayonnaise and add to your favourite sandwich filling.
Check out www.horseradish.co.nz for more options.