Heinz Salad Cream with Cucumber and Dill

As I look out of my window now, it's just started raining (boo hiss !) but these past few days have been really warm and sunny and summery. The girls have been running around outside in T-shirts, we had time to get the stabilisers off Juliette's bike and teach her to ride around the car park without falling off (proud mummy moment !) and we fired up the barbecue for the first time this year.

As usual, I made up several salads to go with the chicken legs, sausages and ribs that Madhouse Daddy Mike was busy cooking on the grill. Nothing amazingly exciting but family favourites that everybody likes tucking into - homemade coleslaw (sliced white cabbage, carrot, onion, mayonnaise and sometimes, to jazz it up a bit, apple chunks, cubes of gruyere or fresh pineapple) ; tuna potato salad (lukewarm boiled baby potatoes and tomatoes, tossed in a mixture of tuna, mayonnaise, gherkins and spring onions) ; tomato salad (sliced tomatoes sprinkled with chives and vinaigrette drizzled over the top) ; and, last but not least, just a simple green salad.

This seemed like the perfect time to try out the new limited edition Heinz Salad Cream with Cucumber and Dill that I was sent to review a little while ago. Following the successful launch of their first flavour variety, Lemon and Black Pepper (which I reviewed here) last year, Heinz have now released this new variety which they describe as "an herbaceous coolness of flavour which complements fish, meat and vegetable dishes alike".

I was expecting this to taste like raita, a cooling mixture of yoghurt, cucumber and mint that often accompanies Indian cuisine, but - possibly because of the dill - it has a more pronounced, interesting flavour than I expected. I wouldn't have been able to identify the ingredients as cucumber and dill if I hadn't seen the label but it is delicious, refreshing and tangy so it's ideal for adding a little je ne sais quoi to slightly dull salads. I added a quick squirt to the coleslaw and tuna potato salads and it really brought them alive, giving them a great depth of flavour. I tasted the tuna mixed with the salad cream before adding the other ingredients and it would make a delicious filling for sandwiches or baked potatoes too.

I can see this being really popular so it's a shame it's only supposed to be a limited edition - but the same was true of the Lemon and Black Pepper variety until consumer demand led to it becoming a permanent fixture. Heinz explain : "Just as the Lemon and Black Pepper variety was carefully blended to complement chicken and tuna, Heinz Salad Cream with Cucumber and Dill has been specially created to be matched particularly well with oily fish dishes such as salmon and mackerel. As the weather gets warmer it also tastes great with beef burgers straight from the BBQ and other red meats such as lamb."

I can't wait for the sun to come back so that I can try it out in lots of new ways the next time we have a barbecue. Until then, I'll be adding a quick squirt to my sandwiches to add a bit of extra zing.

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £1.15 (for 295g)

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Heinz Salad Cream Lemon and Black Pepper

Serving Advice & Recipe Ideas for Wrapbreads from Discovery

Healthy Salad Recipes