Heston Blumenthal’s Lapsang Souchong tea smoked salmon

Heston Blumenthal, chef of Fat Duck ( the 3 Michelin starred restaurant and one of the top 3 in the world) and Dinner (his new restaurant which explores ancient British recipes) collaborated with high- end supermarket Waitrose to create a range of food products from condiments to pies. I have already reviewed his coriander and rose salt, Vanilla mayonnaise and steak, ale & kombu pie. Is his latest product Lapsang Souchong tea smoked salmon any good?

The Scottish salmon was actually smoked by both oak and Lapsang Souchong tea, is a black tea originally from the Wuyi region of the Chinese province of Fujian. Upon opening of the pack, there was a strong smoky aroma. Even though it did not smell like tea, it was very pleasant and appetising. According to Heston, the Lapsang Souchong tea leaves are ‘traditionally smoked over pinewood fire and it has a distinctive smoky taste.’ It certainly added flavour to the fish.

The smoked salmon slices looked natural with a beautiful hint of pink. It was a good idea to leave the fish in room temperature around 30 minutes before eating to allow the flavour to develop. It was moist and light, which was refreshing. It was not salty and did not leave a fishy aftertaste, which was fantastic!

Heston mentioned this way of cooking many times on his cookery programme on TV before, including creating a dish for Little Chef with salmon smoked this way. I was not impressed by what I tried at Little Chef then. But I really like this one. £4.49 for four medium slices, it was not cheap but it was a real treat. I wish they sell it in long ribbon like what we had before at the Fountain, Fortnum and Mason. It would no doubt be an impressive starter to cheat when hosting dinner at home!