Since from whenever I can remember, I have been very passionate about cooking … particularly when using spices. The smells & colours each dish would create filled the house with amazing aromas & I spent many an evening entertaining my family & friends with new dishes.

One of those dishes was aptly named Karen’s Spicy Chicken I made it that often! With inspiration taken from my lovely friend & neighbour, this was a firm favourite. I then started to create my own recipes using the same basic marinade.

So delicious was the chicken, my sister encouraged me to enter a television programme called Britain’s Best Dish which was aired every weekday night on ITV … I entered & the judges absolutely loved it, their comments were fantastic & in 2009 I was crowned Regional Finalist for the North West for my signature dish, Karen’s Spicy Chicken!

Working for Lancashire Police at the time I decided I needed a change so following my heart, I opened my very own sandwich shop & deli in Kirkham, Lancashire & called it Crave & it soon became evident that everything on our menu using the marinade was outselling everything else!

With so many requests now asking to purchase the marinade alone, I decided to look into developing it further & following a recipe change, a couple of happy accidents & all the necessary legal stuff, Crave Marinades became retail ready in May of 2019.

This award winning marinade has now received accolades from the Great Taste Awards & the Great British Food Awards & I received the Highly Commended Award for Best New Product & in 2023 also received the Bronze Award in the Great British Food Awards for my Mild variety! Judges include Executive Chef Giovann Attard of Norma Restaurant in London, also renowned Indian Chef Vivek Singh awarded our Classic variety Highly Commended too! Another amazing review I received from chef Ken Hom OBE who made his very own recipe with it! (see Testimonials). This delicious, healthy marinade has now become a staple … perfect as a coating for fish, meat, chicken, seafood, Quorn & vegetables, you can also use it as an ingredient within recipes. We have many for you to try here on our website or you can create your very own! You can be absolutely sure our spice blend does not contain any nasties only pure natural ingredients including fresh ginger, fresh garlic & fresh chillies!

I believe that everyone with every diet can benefit from this versatile marinade including those with a busy lifestyle to people who have the time to experiment … from indulgent curries to healthy meals, snacks & supper dishes, slow cooker meals & party food, this marinade really does add depth of flavour to all of your savoury food. Take a look at our recipe page to see what tickles your tastebuds, with 10 to 15 servings, you can make many fabulous meals with just one plant based pouch & remember, you can use the marinade in all your home cooking dishes too … try just a little at first!

I hope that you will love this marinade as much as I do …