Herbs & Spices

Mixed with salt, celery seed famously enhances the flavour of Bloody Mary cocktails. The brown crescent-shaped seeds are often included in pickling mixes, dressings, soups, breads, and a wide assortment of other foods. It is often used whole, releasing its intensely savoury and earthy, bitter flavours when bitten into.

The famous phrase 'open sesame' derives from the popping sound akin to a lock spring opening that a ripened sesame pod makes as it bursts open. These hulled seeds are immensely popular in cooking all over the world and form the base for kitchen staples like tahini, hommus and sesame oil. In Mexican cooking, it is used in sauces for mole or adobo. Sesame is also widely used to decorate artisanal breads.

Similar in taste and look to dried cranberries, barberries are tarter and less sweet. The berries are used widely in Middle Eastern cooking, and traditionally also made into juice and fruit rolls.

With a staggering amount of heat, birdseye chilli is often used in condiments where heat, rather than flavour, is the main attraction. In ground form, this chilli disperses instantly and evenly through pastes, marinades and sauces without any prep.

Heat Level: 10/10

One of the hottest chillies on the market, the habanero is not for the faint-hearted! Add it sparingly to hot sauces, stews and curries. The delicious citrus-like flavour and floral aroma are quickly overpowered by its heat. This ground chilli is ready to use straight from the jar, ideal for quickly seasoning hot sauces, marinades and extreme spice blends without any prep.

Heat Level: 10/10

The most sought-after and heavily traded spice in history, pepper lives up to its expectations by transforming blandness into bite in almost every imaginable dish. Add peppercorn, whole or ground, to meats, fish and vegetables, as well as salads, rice and sandwiches. Even sweet dishes such as Indian chai enjoy a subtle background kick from a small amount of freshly ground pepper. Australian Black Peppercorn is full-bodied, rich and fragrant.

Mount Zero Olives and the traditional land owners, the Barengi Gadjin Land Council, together hand-harvest this salt according to customary methods from a crater-like pink salt lake near the Grampians in Victoria. Fed by natural saline aquifers, the lake dries out each summer to reveal a bed of salmon-pink salt, guradj gadjin, which is rich in minerals and has a complex, well-rounded flavour.

In days gone by when marjoram was believed to symbolise happiness, it was planted on graves to give peace to the departed. In culinary use, marjoram's bitter sweetness gives depth and character to salads, soufflés and stuffing.

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; the aroma is reminiscent of sourdough. These whole dried slices rehydrate in warm water, releasing a rich mushroom stock alongside the tender pieces.

With delicious aromas of chocolate and cherry, these brownish-black, mild to medium chillies are traditionally used in Mexican moles, as well as other sauces and stews.

Heat Level: 3/10

Not to be confused with green cardamom, brown cardamom pods are dark brown, oval shaped and about 2.5cm long. Also commonly known as black cardamom, they have a distinctly astringent aroma though not bitter, with a coolness similar to mint. They give a delicious smoky taste to marinades, casseroles, and butter chicken and tandoori curries. Also known as: Elaichi, tsao-ko, winged cardamom.

Cooking on a barbecue is one of the most enjoyable ways to share a meal outdoors with family and friends. The BBQ Medley Spice Kit has everything you need to make your next barbecue the best yet.

Covering bold savoury seasonings, vibrant grilling flavours and sweet, sticky finishes, this versatile collection can be used across meat, seafood and vegetables. From lamb chops to sliced potatoes, it has the Australian barbecue covered.

Perfect for keen barbecue cooks or as a gift for someone who loves cooking over the grill.

Rose petal powder is used extensively in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Persian and Turkish flavours. Used for its floral aroma, symbolism and decorativeness, rose petal powder was made popular in Australia by chef Yotam Ottolenghi with his beautiful rose harissa.

We've done the planning, you do the cooking.

The Mid-Week Meal Pack brings together five versatile blends, 12 matching recipe cards and a weekly meal planner to take the guesswork out of “what's for dinner?”. With inspiration spanning curries, pasta, roast chicken, souvlaki and noodle dishes, it offers plenty of variety for busy weeknights.

Each recipe serves four, so if there are only one or two of you, you can feel extra pleased knowing the freezer and packed lunches are sorted too. Visit our mid-week meals hub for weekly shopping lists, recipes and more.

Traditionally, a bouquet garni (French for 'garnished bunch') consists of fresh herbs bound within leek leaves. Our Bouquet Garni uses dried herbs which we recommend placing in infuser bags. Add to soups, stews and casseroles, and especially, use to make a good stock. Bouquet Garni is used in the preparation of many French dishes, including beef bourguignon, pot-au-feu, carbonnade flamande, lapin chasseur and bouillabaisse.

Flavour Notes: Herbaceous, fragrant, bright

Cuisine: French

Heat Level: 0/5

This warm, sweet, liquorice-tasting aromatic is native to the Middle East and was used by the ancient Romans to aid with digestion. Not to be confused with star anise (native to China), aniseed is often found in cakes and pastries, and is a great addition to curry powders. It is used to flavour alcoholic drinks such as Jägermeister and Sambuca. Also known as: Anise seed.