Herbs, Spices & Teas

Use fiery chilli flakes with seeds in dishes which require robust heat and texture. Sprinkle over pizza, pasta, soups and roasts. Ideal for making your own chilli oil. Also use in stir-fries, curries, stews and Asian dipping sauces.

Heat Level: 7/10

This spice will find its way into all your baking, when used with the natural sweetness, smoothness and binding ability of the humble pumpkin. Add to traditionally sugar-heavy goodies and cut out some of the sugar; it also works a treat with granola, nut bars and smoothies, partnering well with coconut and dairy-based dishes. The spice also complements savoury dishes, such as pumpkin gnocchi or zucchini fritters. Of course, it makes the great American Pumpkin Pie.

Flavour Notes: Warmly spiced, woody, slightly sweet

Cuisine: American

Heat Level: 0/5

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.

Spicy, sweet and full flavoured, this seasoning is synonymous with Jamaica. A perfect dry or wet marinade for grilled, slow cooked, smoked or roast meats, Jamaican Jerk Spice is traditionally used with pork or chicken. It is also delicious with chargrilled vegetables, fish or shellfish, and in a vegetarian version with firm tofu or pulled jackfruit. This blend has the unmistakable flavour of allspice, balanced with the heat and depth from chilli, ginger and cinnamon.

The signature spice of the famous chai tea, cardamom is sweet and aromatic with camphoric tones. This bright, complex flavour brings sophistication to cakes, biscuits, puddings, scrolls and French toast; curries and stews; rice dishes; stewed and preserved fruits; red meats; and drinks. This ground cardamom is milled from mature pods into a fine powder, offering a more concentrated flavour than the whole pod and ready to use straight from the jar.

Cayenne pepper, contrary to its name, has nothing to do with pepper: it's a blend of hot chillies selected to provide a balance of heat. Use instead of chilli powder or even pepper. Great in scrambled eggs, frittatas and quiche. Also known as: Aleva, bird pepper, cow horn, guinea spice, hot chilli powder.

Heat Level: 8/10

Cassia - also known as Dutch cinnamon or baker's cinnamon - is bolder than true cinnamon. Cassia's sweet and spicy fragrance and flavour is more intense than that of cinnamon. Its slight bitterness makes it distinctly different from cinnamon and gives its sweetness depth. Cassia is delicious in more robust sweet dishes such as fruit cakes, strudels, compotes and crumbles. It is often used in curries and stews for a balancing sweetness.

An organic herbal tisane that pairs chamomile flower with catnip, oat straw and St John's wort. Blended with tangy citrus peel, refreshing mint and fruity rosehip, it's floral and mellow and is especially suited to the end of the day.

Himalayan Pink Salt offers a distinctive mineral-rich flavour. Born of the Jurassic era, this 250-million-year-old, hand-mined salt has been shielded from pollution for centuries. This fine grain is ideal for even seasoning in baking, rubs and brines where a coarser grind wouldn't dissolve as easily.

Kosher Salt gets its name from its integral role in making meat kosher. Jewish law dictates that blood must be extracted from meat with salt prior to consumption. Although harvested like table salt, Kosher Salt is raked during evaporation, giving the grains a block-like structure allowing the crystals to better absorb blood from animal carcasses. It is excellent in pasta sauces, where it yields a rich, complex and delicious flavour.

Used across the world for its fresh anise flavour, fennel seed has found a place in many cultures and cuisines. It can be found in charcuterie, curries and on Indian dining tables, where the raw seeds are chewed after meals as a natural digestif and breath freshener. Great in vegetable and seafood dishes, pork sausages, meatballs, soup stocks, stews and curries. Also known as: Florence fennel, finnochio, lucky fennel seed

Flavoursome and easy to use, Caribbean Fish and Scampi Spice complements all seafood, and can be adjusted for a delicate flavour or deep char. It is magic when paired with scampi and grilled, and matches well with prawns, lobster, fish and even poultry. Add it to seafood soups and chowder for a rich flavour, or season seafood and pan fry in butter.

Black Lava Sea Salt gives a briny textural crunch and dramatic visual contrast to white, green and red coloured foods, such as fish, pasta, puréed leeks, tomatoes, turnips and potatoes. Large white crystals of sea salt are enriched with activated charcoal from volcanic areas in Cyprus, which turns it sensationally black.

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.

Asafoetida has a pungent, unpleasant smell when raw, but when cooked it delivers a smooth flavour similar to leek or sautéed onion. It is made from the dried white resinous sap extracted from a variety of giant fennel which is difficult to handle, so starch is added to make it more manageable. Yellow Asafoetida is blended with turmeric and is used in Indian vegetarian cooking and low FODMAP diets.