What chefs think of our Oak Smoked Water

“One of my greatest discoveries recently was the smoked water that David is producing at Halen Môn, it has a soft smoky finish that many foods and cocktails could benefit from.

David and I share a passion for smoke and this is a great example of how his out-of-the-box approach to life has opened the door to how we look at the foods we prepare.

As a chef who utilizes wood fire a lot, those flavours are a large component of my food. I am constantly looking for new ways to bring the flavours of naturally smoked foods indoors.”

‘’If you can get your hands on it, smoked water is an amazing ingredient; you can buy it from Halen Môn, the Welsh sea salt makers. It’s also great in risottos and stews if you invest in a bottle.’’

“I’m a big fan of Halen Mon’s oak smoked water. It’s a key component in two recipes in my book, — as part of a salad dressing, and in a ‘smoky’ ratatouille. In both cases it adds a warming, rounded and of course smoky depth of flavour to the dishes. It’s a quality that you normally can’t get without going through the whole smoking process yourself, which is of course logistically and relatively admin heavy, particularly for the home cook. It’s not acrid or bitter, which is impressive — other condiments offering an immediate smokiness often are.

And if you try and smoke things at home, or use a smoke gun, you’ll often find the smoke is unpleasant, rather than beneficial. Basically, Halen Mon’s oak smoked water has become as useful and legitimate an addition to my larder as the likes of Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, toasted sesame oil and fish sauce.”

“I’m hooked on using Halen Môn smoked water in my cooking; it makes it so simple to build more layers of flavour into whatever I’m making.

Smokiness is a flavour I’m drawn to time and time again but it can sometimes go wrong. Over-smoking gives you acrid bitter flavours, under smoking is disappointing and a waste of time.

The thing about smoked water is the smoke flavour is beautifully balanced and just the right sort of smoky, meaning you can perfectly control how you use it.”

“It’s much easier to add a drop (of smoked water) to yoghurt than to smoke your own.”