Manuka Smoked Kawakawa Horopito Salt product reviews

We love flavoured salt in this house and have tried many brands but this one is our absolute favorite! and we love that its new zealand made! At first I thought I may be limited with the use of the Manuka Smoked Kawakawa Horopito Salt but we have found endless uses for this from our standard roast of beef or chicken and we have even used this in some homemade cheese crackers that were amazing!

When people asked what the salt was we were using? we had to visit google to explain what kawakawa and horopito were but definitely worth the research. The glass container that the salt comes in is amazing I love that you can choose from a coarse and fine grind and the cap is also handy for keeping everything neat and tidy on the bench and the glass bottle allows you to see how much of the beloved salt you have left!

As for the taste it is beauitiful! it has a lovely sweet and smoky taste with the hit of pepper at the end making it ideal for all sorts of meals or just used to complement your dinner. I look forward to trying this out on more meals and have eyed up other products on the website to use for xmas lunch.

Writing this review I do have to admit that I am not a huge fan of salt. I don't add salt in my cooking, and the only foods I put salt on just before eating are hot chips and roast potatoes. This probably leaves you wondering why I would opt to select a salt for review - to be honest when it arrived I did wonder myself, but was willing to see if this product could change my thoughts on salt.

When I opened the lid there was a strong fragrance out of the jar. There was definitely a smoky smell, and a bit of a peppery smell. It was then that I realised I don't even know what kawakawa and horopito are! So I really was going in quite blind with this product. Being that I don't add salt to many foods I did decide to start with one of the foods I usually add salt to, that was some oven fries. Having the fries accompany dinner tonight I put a little bit of the salt on top. The jar was easy to use. Being see through you can see just how much you have left, and the grinder worked easily. As I tried one of the oven fries I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. Not only did it taste like I had added salt to my fries, it was like I had added pepper too. I started with just a small amount so as not to go over top, and this small amount was plenty enough for me. Someone who does enjoy salt might like a little more though. For me, this does mean the one jar will last quite some time!

Reading other reviews just prior to writing my own I have now discovered why there was a slight peppery taste to this product. If only I had googled first to find out what kawakawa and horopito were, then I would have expected it! To any one who enjoys adding salt and pepper to their dishes and wants to try something just a little different I highly recommend this product.

Ok I have a confession...I love salt. Not to the point that I have it on everything as some things don't really need it, but when I feel its needed - I'll use it!

This Manuka Smoked Kawakawa Horopito Salt really made me think though.... I knew what Manuka smoked was, but what is Kawakawa and Horopito? Well after some Googling, I found out that they were both New Zealand pepper plant varieties. So essentially I then thought to myself, that this is a salt AND pepper mix, so I made a mental note to go lightly on pepper seasoning for my cooking whilst using this mix.

The glass container the seasoning came in has a built in grinder lid and cap which is so easy to use; pull out for coarser granules and push in for fine. It is also very handy to see the ingredients in the container and more importantly, see how much is left.

The first opportunity I had to use the salt was with salmon, I decided to apply liberally over the fillets after I had brushed on maple syrup, then I wrapped the fish in foil and baked in oven. When it was ready, I unwrapped the foil and the lovely smoky fragrance really hit my senses, it instantly took me back to my Grandad smoking Salmon on the outdoor fish smoker on his front lawn with Manuka sawdust. I was eager to taste the fish and I wasn't disappointed - it was absolutely divine; the lovely mix of the sweet syrup with smoky salt and the light flavours of the peppers were just perfect for both me and all my family. I have since used the seasoning on a fresh green salad and on poached eggs, both times adding a lovely taste to the meal.

I believe this is a very well made New Zealand product which all foodies and families would appreciate, a great sized jar easily operated by all age groups.

Along with many other kiwis, I am permanently on a low salt diet so I have to be wary of adding extra salt at the table. But there are many foods that are quite insipid if served without seasoning, and it is impossible to imagine foods like hot chips or poached eggs without any salt at all! This is where this product comes in. Rather than being salt on its own, it is mixed in with a liberal amount of kawakawa (the New Zealand variety of pepper) and horopito (which is not really pepper but tastes as though it should be). That means you can get away with using roughly a third of the amount of salt you would normally use.

When you first open the pack, there is an instant odour of smoked food. That is enough to make anyone hungry! It is ready to grind so you can have it as fine or as coarse as you like. My preference is for the coarsest setting so the flecks of horopito and kawakawa can be seen. They looked quite decorative on top of my breakfast eggs, and the taste was perfect. There was a hint of heat in the horopito and kawakawa (not sure which; maybe it was both) but it was not overwhelming and certainly not intrusive. You could certainly taste the salt. At first I was hesitant as I did not want to use too much in case it was too strong, but it did not take long to work out the correct quantity.

I have now had the opportunity to test the product on four different dishes. First, I mixed it with mayonnaise to serve with a green salad. This made a piquant addition to the dressing and was enjoyed by a range of people of various ages. Children are always interesting subjects to try new foods on as their taste buds react more to extreme tastes. Everybody tried this, however, and even the youngest liked it. Next day I made a chicken, tomato, lettuce and avocado sandwich, something I would always normally serve with a mayonnaise dressing. It was quite difficult to get hold of an avocado as the season was just over. The specimen I eventually tracked down did not have much flavour, but with the addition of the dressing left over from the previous day's salad, the sandwich was salvaged and was actually really nice.

Last night I cooked an aubergine dish for some friends. I normally braise this with a half teaspoon each of asafoetida and wok oil, and two teaspoons of rich soy sauce. This time I put in just one spoon of soy with the asafoetida and oil, and then added some of the salt combo to top up. Unfortunately, I am not sure how much I added in the end as I kept tasting it till it was the right balance. But the result was delicious and there were no complaints. And finally, I served it with the poached eggs on toast.

I think this is yet another food destined to become a staple. Now I intend to try some of the other flavours in the range as they all look to be quite different from one another. I do like the fact that the variations on the salt theme come from local herbs, not expensive imports.