Christmas Baking

This tuberous rhizome has been travelling across oceans since Chinese navigators began growing it in planter boxes onboard their vessels. Versatile and well represented in many cuisines, ginger in its powdered form can be added to stir-fry dishes, noodles and rice, sauces and marinades.

Bearing the heady fragrance of liquorice, star anise is used in the East as aniseed is in the West. It is one of the ingredients in Chinese five spice, and Chinese stocks and soups very often contain star anise, as do many other traditional Chinese dishes. With a deeper perfume and sweetness than fennel or aniseed, the flavour of star anise pairs exceptionally well with pork and duck. In Europe, star anise is added to fruit compotes and jams, as well as anisette liqueurs.