A Gourmet Scooping Ketchup To Ladle On Thickly
If your ketchup MO is to reach for the usual squeeze bottle, Sir Kensington’s may have you reaching for their glass jars to scoop out the stuff instead.
Sir Kensington’s mascot may be totally mustache in cheek — a top hat-crowned, monocle-wearing British dandy who supposedly created the tomato-based condiment 300 years ago for Catherine the Great to top her steaks with.
But truth be told, like so many wonderful artisan products these days, Sir Kensington’s actually originated in Chelsea, NY. With Mark Ramadan and Scott Norton, former business and finance consultants, to be exact. They thought there ought to be an alternative to Heinz that was more hand-crafted.
While most mass-produced ketchup relies on tomato concentrate and corn syrup, Sir Kensington’s does not. In fact, they’re made with vine-ripened pear tomatoes, real onions (as opposed to powdered or dehydrated), cane sugar, honey, agave, apple cider vinegar, coriander, lime juice and allspice.
They’re called scooping ketchup because they come in squat glass jars.
Recently, I had a chance to try samples of the ketchup, which comes in two varieties: Classic and Spiced.
The Classic has a very pure tomato flavor. It’s sweet but tangy, and far more complex than your average ketchup. The green bell peppers and onions definitely add another layer, just as they do in your favorite spaghetti sauce.
The Spiced has a subtle grassiness and a pretty good kick from jalapenos. It’s not the type of heat that only comes at the end. No, it’s present from the get-go. There’s also a nice smokiness like that of barbecue sauce.
One tablespoon has 15 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, and 95 mg to 105 mg sodium (the former is for the Classic, the latter for the Spiced).
An 11-ounce jar is about $4.99 at Safeway, Whole Foods, Sur La Table and Mollie Stone’s stores.
You’ll also find it being used at such New York establishments as ABC Kitchen and P.J. Clarke’s.
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Friday, 18. January 2013 10:50
Ooooh, I love ketchup! I might give this a try, although these New Yorkers don’t have the early word on hand-crafted ketchup. June Taylor in Berkeley has been selling her own artisan ketchup for years.
Friday, 18. January 2013 13:45
I love the sound of this one. I bought some June Taylor ketchup and it rocks.
Friday, 18. January 2013 14:16
Looks lovely. From the color and texture, I can already “see” the difference from ordinary ketchup ! It’s hard to find ketchup that’s made without the corn syrup these days. I gotta give this brand a try.
Thanks for introducing them to me.
Friday, 18. January 2013 14:23
It looks like a great find!
Really good ketchup is hard to find! Lovely jam pots too!
Friday, 18. January 2013 20:15
Looks like a great gourmet ketchup, I am all for trying new products like this!
Friday, 18. January 2013 21:28
I heard about this brand but never tried. I will definitely give it a try. I’m weak for the word “gourmet”. =P lol.
Friday, 18. January 2013 22:00
Here’s where I admit I’m slightly obsessed with ketchup. I need to find these, hopefully they sell them here!
Sunday, 20. January 2013 9:23
This sounds really interesting! I’m OK with Heinz, but this looks really interesting. I’m always looking for more flavor, and have briefly considered making my own (not really worth it – we only go through a bottle, maybe 2, a year) so this looks like an ideal solution. Thanks!
Sunday, 20. January 2013 17:20
We don’t have any of this markets in New Hampshire but I’ll have to look for it in my travels.
Monday, 21. January 2013 5:20
Wow this ketchup sounds wonderful. Low in calories and I totally love the packaging. Would definitely go very well with recipes!!
Wednesday, 23. January 2013 22:00
I’ve seen this at World Market in San Jose.