Hard To Find

Aleppo Peppers are highly desirable for their fresh, fruity flavour and the mild heat that builds slowly on the palate. Aleppo Peppers have a salty, oily flavour that distinguishes them from their crushed red pepper or paprika siblings. These lustrous lacquer-red flakes will add an extra bit of heat and drama to your favourite dishes.

Heat Level: 3/10

The world's most expensive spice, saffron is the stigma plucked from the purple-flowered crocus. Each flower has only three stigmas, and a five-acre plot yields between 500 and 750g of this hand-picked spice. This B-Grade saffron includes a touch more of the natural yellow style alongside the red stigma, giving it a slightly milder colour and flavour than A-Grade, at a more accessible price.

The world's most expensive spice, saffron is the stigma plucked from the purple-flowered crocus. Each flower has only three stigmas, and a five-acre plot yields between 500 and 750g of this hand picked spice.

One of the best known Australian native herbs, lemon myrtle will happily grow in most Australian backyards. Its leaves, known botanically as Backhousia citriodora, carry a bright citrus flavour and aroma valued in native Australian cooking.

This smoke-dried jalapeno chilli, native to Mexico, is famously used in the dish 'adobo'. Its earthy smokiness yet floral sweet tones will make you reconsider the general perception of chillis being nothing more than burning hot. Add this to anything that you feel might need a smoky, spicy kick.

Heat Level: 6/10

This semi-hot chilli from the northern region of India has a wonderfully bright red hue with a fruity and fresh chilli aroma. A good all-round chilli to add to curries and sauces, seafood and poultry dishes, or quickly blanched vegetables in a light sauce.

Flavour Notes: Medium heat, fruity chilli flavour

Cuisine: Indian

Heat Level: 2/5

This colourful mosaic of six different types of pepper brings together the best qualities of each. Two kinds of pungent black peppercorns; hot, aromatic white; fruity green; sweet, vividly pink; and floral, lemony Sichuan. Pink Schinus pepper, one of the six, is actually part of the same botanical family as cashews. A delicious blend for your peppermill.

Wattleseed is a star in the native Australian spice world; its earthy aromas of chocolate, coffee and hazelnut inspire creativity in the kitchen. Hand beaten from the pods of acacias by Indigenous Australians, wattleseed can be added to pancake batter, desserts, baked goods and sauces.

Used for its vibrant red colour and full-bodied flavour, paprika is slightly pungent, yet sweet with only faint bitter undertones.

With a more rounded flavour than its zesty, fresh sibling, dried orange peel has a beautiful, bitter sweetness that gives depth and fragrance without overpowering. Dried orange peel matches well with duck and game meats, and any dish complemented by stewed fruit. It is also used in the Japanese sprinkle, Shichimi Togarashi.

Also known as 'old man saltbush', this hardy native Australian shrub has savoury, salty-herbal leaves and is commonly used as a natural salt substitute. When rubbed and dried, the leaves carry a distinctly mineral, subtly earthy flavour and is softer and more complex than table salt.

Use it exactly as you would salt, sprinkle over roasted lamb and chicken, or stir through vegetables, salads and dips.

Also known as 'mountain pepper', this fruit is picked from female wild shrubs on the mountain tops of northern Tasmania. Pepperberries are dark-blue to black in colour and succulent with a hot, crunchy seed cluster at their centre. Their floral, fruity bouquet is enlivened by a beguiling purplish-pink hue when crushed. An excellent spice for grinding with an intense bite that builds after consumption.

Widely used in Indian cooking, fenugreek leaf has a strong savoury aroma and subtle bitterness comparable to celery seed, which greatly enhance other flavours. Used in vegetable and fish curries as well as potato and spinach dishes, fenugreek leaf is strong and should be used sparingly towards the end of cooking.

Sichuan pepper, also known as Szechuan pepper or Chinese pepper, is commonly used in Chinese, Nepali and Tibetan cuisine. Native to Southwest China, the dried, burst seeds of the prickly ash tree have a peppery yet bright aroma, leaving a tingling and numbing sensation on the tongue.

With a plethora of imaginative names in different languages, the Italian - and most common - name, 'porcini' means 'piglets' in English. When dried, the flavour of these much relished mushrooms intensifies to a meaty, creamy and nutty palate, with an aroma reminiscent of sourdough.

Although lavender flowers are not widely used in culinary circles, their pleasant aroma and corresponding soft, sweet taste are well worth exploring. Find them in Herbes de Provence and Ras el Hanout blends, but on their own, use in biscuits, cakes and general sweet baking. In northern Africa, lavender flower is also added to meat dishes.