Barker's Herb & Caper Vinaigrette product reviews

Loving vinaigrette on salads, I decided to give this a whirl. I love the idea of changing from the same old basic vinaigrette. I also liked the idea that you could use it on salmon because I'm always looking for new ideas to flavour a baked salmon.

I tried this first with a normal salad with different types of fancy lettuce, nuts, cucumber, capsicum, shredded carrots, and feta. It was pretty good. I liked the fresh taste the lemon gives it. I would have preferred the caper taste to be toned down, but all in all a pretty refreshing little vinaigrette, an interesting twist. This opens up the options when entertaining, being able to offer more of a variety of salad toppings - the caper flavours are really just a matter of personal taste, so someone's bound to enjoy it more than I.

The second time was with baked salmon. I brushed it on, covered the dish with tin foil and popped it in the oven. My husband wasn't a fan, but he doesn't like vinaigrette, so no hopes of converting him there. I, however, didn't hate it, but it didn't wow me. I think the caper taste was too over-powering and at the end, that's pretty much all I tasted. I think I'll stick to salads with this one. It pairs better with other garden flavours.

Barker's of Geraldine is a trusted well-respected brand in our household and their products of condiments and drinks can normally be found sitting within our fridge or pantry at home because they are very diverse with what they can be used with to add great flavour. Normally when I have a meal I always look for something that can be used to try to boost up the taste of food as I'm not one who generally likes plain unflavored food. The first night I had dinner while in possession of the Herb and caper vinaigrette I decided to cook up mashed potatoes with boiled carrots and broccoli alongside sausages.

After I had plated the dinner for my family and myself I gave the vinaigrette bottle a good shake and poured it over the top of my vegetables and when the children saw it they wanted to taste it before trying it on theirs. Three of the four children liked the initial taste so they wanted it added to their dinners but my six-year-old son said it was too strong and didn't want any. We proceded to eat the meal and the Kids loved the flavour that it added to the meal giving it a nice zesty vinegar taste. My ten-year-old daughter loved it the most saying she wants it on every night's dinner as she loves vinegar more than anyone else I know.

I decided to give it a whirl the next day on a mixed lettuce salad and found it really was a great flavour to add to the mix as it gave it a very nice vinegar taste. After trying it on a few other mix's of vegetables I found it really does pair quite well with every vegetable I have had it with and I really do enjoy the vinegar taste. As for the herb and caper flavour, I can't really comment on it because I didn't taste any herbs or caper in the mix as the vinegar overpowers the flavour but I prefer it that way and also after looking at the ingredient list it only contains two percent herbs and capers so I would be surprised if you could really taste them anyway.

I really enjoyed this vinaigrette and so did most of my family which is why we support barker's of Geraldine and have their products as they really are a great addition to most meals you can think of using them with. The fact that this product is also gluten-free, vegan-friendly and made in New Zealand is a staple reason to why I would defiantly purchase this and it is very much worth its value of just $3.90 for a 280ml bottle. I give this a solid 10 out of 10 for its versatility and taste.

We enjoy having salads in my house, my mum and I take turns making them and they range in ingredients, so sometimes we use cheeses, raisins, apples etc as well as onion, lettuce etc. I was interested to see how this would work with the different combinations we make and if it would be better than my mothers tried and true, oil, lemon and salt dressing. This needs a good shake before you use it, and you'll need to do this every time that you give it a go. Opening it up, I gave it a good whiff, I thought it smelled nice and I liked that there wasn't any one smell overpowering the others.

I gave it a little taste on its own first and found that the vinegar was a little strong, though I'm also not too big a fan of apple cider vinegar, so that will have contributed to that. Using it on tried and true salad of lettuce, red onion, Edam cheese and apple, this didn't taste too bad with it and the vinegar worked really well with the apple, so I'd use it for this again. It didn't work with all our salads but that didn't matter, it worked with enough. The jar gave a suggestion of it lightly on buttered potatoes, so I baked some, a nice chunk of butter and a little of this vinegarette, it gave a nice twist that I hadn't thought of before.

This makes a nice change from what we usually have and went well with a range of salads and was enjoyed by most of the family.

We don't normally use a lot of vinaigrettes in our household but I've bern looking for different things to use with meals. I love barker's products and they always provide the best so thought why jot let's try something new.

I've never had caper before but figured it would be great with herbs as a dressing. The bottle actually is full when it's new unlike many products I've brought before but it makes shaking the oil though out the bottle hard I had to really shake it up and shake hard pleased the lid stands that.

Opening the bottle is easy a quick turn and pop open it went. When opened you can smell a beauiful Aroma of herbs and caper you smell a little lemon. It's a thick dressing with thick bits though out it which gives it that extra texture and flavour. The lemon I find is a big stronger taste than anything else but it works really well together and really gives a fresh taste to a salad or potatoes. I have looked at the site and want to try the potato salad as I love potato salad and this will give it an extra zing.

I love Barker's and once again they haven't disappointed

I usually make my own vinaigrette but I always enjoy Barker's products so I fully expected it to be just as good as mine (if not better!). Vinaigrettes are funny things; you have to get the oil and vinegar balance just right or it ends up being too rich or too acidic. Shaking before use helps, of course, but it is also important to add it just before eating so that the food does not lose its texture. There is nothing worse than a wilted salad staring at you when you open the fridge!

We made a colourful salad mix and spread it all out on a board, then put a helping on to everyone's plate. The idea was that each person could add as much or as little of the dressing that they chose. I noticed that there was mustard included in the small print above the main label so I said nothing - the children don't like mustard, or at least they say they don't, so I did not want to prejudice their feedback.

When we went to shake the bottle, we found it quite a challenge. The contents filled it almost to the lid, and there was a large amount of oil on top which absolutely refused to mix in, no matter how much we shook it. In the end I decanted some into a jug and provided a spoon so people could stir it before adding it to their salad. This worked for us, and we found that it ceased to be a problem once the level in the bottle had dropped and there was more space to shake.

The taste was as we expect from a Barker's product. Nicely balanced, with a lemon aftertaste and an interesting texture of mustard seeds and crushed capers - thicker than most vinaigrettes so that the solid bits draped themselves over the various salad items, giving a most interesting effect. Apart from the lemon, no one flavour stood out; it was a fusion of herbs and spices, full-bodied but not too strong.

As a treat, another friend had given us half a dozen avocados. We next tried the vinaigrette on them, and found that this was a gourmet treat to die for. I often use sesame oil and balsamic vinegar as a dressing on avocado, but this dressing was much better. It is a good thing we had only six avocados (to share among eight people) because I could happily have eaten all six myself. Avocados are one of my favourite foods, and this dressing could have been designed just for them.

If I am buying a vinaigrette, this would be my first choice. It would be especially useful when travelling because it is ready to use; although it needs to be refrigerated once it is opened, it would survive a trip quite happily in a chilly bin.

I have recently purchased this dressing to use in lunchtime work salads. I have really enjoyed it, it has great flavour, the capers give it a nice salty taste. It is a slightly creamy dressing so you really have to give it a good shake before using it. I have used it with pasta as its a thicker dressing than other vinagrettes. I also went onto the Barkers website as they have a lot of recipes using their products and found the Herb and Caper potato salad, I tried it out and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all! My daughter (9) has tried it too and also really enjoyed it.

It lasted well in the fridge for a couple of weeks and had plenty of servings per bottle. I thought it was great value for money for the amount you get. I liked that it was made in New Zealand and in a glass bottle, easier for recycling, and it only took a short soak to be able to get the label off. I have found this a great brand, I have tried many of their products in the past and have never been disappointed.

I found it easy to find in the supermarket and I would definitely use this again.