Salad cream is a distinctly British condiment created by Heinz in 1914 as a sandwich spread and salad dressing. It’s almost identical to mayonnaise in its appearance and packaging, but the tangier, more vinegary taste of salad cream clearly sets them apart, despite being crafted from very similar ingredients.
The slightly sweet condiment is just as easy to make from scratch as mayonnaise and a worthwhile venture, whether you have a bottle in the fridge or not, as Rick Stein agrees. Sharing his recipe for baked ham, new potatoes and salad cream in an episode of Rick Stein’s Cornwall, the Padstow-based chef noted: “Baked ham is not just for Christmas: it’s also delicious for a summery high tea or Sunday lunch, served with fresh salad vegetables and old-fashioned, rich English salad cream.”
Salad cream contains a greater proportion of vinegar than oil, whereas mayonnaise is mainly composed of oil with less vinegar.
Additionally, it has considerably less fat than mayonnaise, and the amount of egg yolk used in the recipes also affects the flavours.
Rick’s “old English” recipe is simple and quick. It also has the added benefit of being free from preservatives often used to make shop-bought condiments last longer.
Salad cream recipe
Ingredients
- Two free-range eggs
- One tbsp plain flour
- Four tsp caster sugar
- Half tsp salt
- 100ml/3½fl oz vinegar (Moscatel or sweet sherry vinegar)
- 100–150ml/3½–5fl oz double or whipping cream
- A few dropof s Tabasco or lemon juice (optional)
How to make salad cream
Take a heatproof bowl and crack in the eggs. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and whisk everything together.
Boil the vinegar in a small pan until it is reduced by half, then whisk the reduced vinegar into the egg mixture. Set the bowl over a pan of just simmering water, making sure that the bowl does not touch the water.
Stir the contents of the bowl over the heat with a wooden spoon for about five minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Stir in the cream, then taste the salad and adjust the seasoning. You can add Tabasco or lemon juice if you like.
Rick suggests adding a tablespoon or two of water if the cream is too thick. Store the finished sauce in a sterilised jam jar in the fridge until ready to serve.