Herbs & Spices

Create a satisfying feast with four of our most popular spice rubs in the Roasting Essentials Spice Kit.

From juicy beef and succulent lamb to crisp pork crackling and golden roast potatoes, each seasoning is made for a different part of the classic roast. Together, they provide everything you need to bring rich flavour and a beautiful finish to the table.

Perfect for Sunday roasts, special occasions or anyone who loves gathering people around a generous meal.

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 to meats, fish and vegetables; salads, rice and sandwiches. Even sweet dishes such as Indian chai enjoy a subtle background kick from a small amount of freshly ground pepper. Indian Black Peppercorn has a smooth, earthy aroma and a moderate heat.

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 and scrolls; curries and stews; rice dishes; stewed and preserved fruits; red meats; and milky beverages. These are the loose seeds removed from the pod, ready to add whole for a slow infusion or crush fresh for a more concentrated flavour.

Used primarily as a natural red food colouring, annatto seed appears most commonly in South and Central American cookery, such as in achiote paste and adobo. Its soft lemon-peppery taste and mint tones complement seafood, meats, vegetables and rice.

This chilli's deep red flesh has a green-tea flavour with berry overtones. Used in salsa for tamales, the guajillo chilli is also great in pastes, butter and meat rubs - try it with chicken. This ground chilli is ready to use straight from the jar, ideal for quick rubs, marinades and pastes.

Heat Level: 4/10

In the famous spice gardens of Kerala, the pepper vine grows trellised on palm trees for pickers to harvest the unripe green fruit in the shade. Plunged into boiling water for 15 minutes, the berries then shrivel and dry in the blazing Indian heat. Green pepper is milder than black pepper, with a fresh, herbaceous aroma.

With a staggering amount of heat, birdseye chilli is often used in condiments where heat, rather than flavour, is the main attraction. A very small and highly pungent chilli, it can be used whole, crushed or ground. These whole chillies can be used whole for a milder infused heat, or toasted and ground for maximum pungency.

Heat Level: 10/10

This wild and weedy perennial originated in Eastern Europe, where it still grows rampantly on road sides and in ditches. Similar to caraway, dill seed can be used in breads, biscuits, pickles and stews.

Be careful when you stick your nose into a bag of galangal and inhale - it is surprisingly hot and will trigger your sinuses as though you are sick in bed with the cold. Similar in taste to ginger, with fruitier tones, galangal is used in many Asian cuisines to give more punch than ginger.

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. These whole dried pods can be rehydrated and used whole or toasted and ground fresh for a more vibrant, aromatic powder.

Heat Level: 10/10

Affectionately named 'little raisin' due to its resemblance to both the colour and flavour of raisins, the pasilla chilli is one of the main ingredients in Mexican mole. With chocolate overtones and a delicious fruitiness, this chilli is a must try. These whole dried pods can be rehydrated whole for a rounder mole sauce, or can be toasted and ground fresh for a more vibrant powder.

Heat Level: 4/10

Also known as Chile Mosquito, this small yet hot Mexican varietal is a domesticated relative of the Tepin Chilli. We use this chilli in our English Pickling Spice, but it is also good for giving heat and flavour to vinegars, salsas and sauces. With a smoky, nutty and citrus-like taste, its neat, rounded shape is also pleasing to the eye.

Heat Level: 9/10

From the same family as dill, caraway and cumin, ajowan seed is widely used in Indian dishes, especially in the state of Gujarat. Its thyme-like aroma and taste matches well with vegetables, particularly in soups, stews and casseroles. Sprinkle it on bread before baking for a sharp and bitter, yet pleasant, cumin-like taste. Also known as: Ajwain, Bishop's weed, Carom

Affectionately named 'little raisin' due to its resemblance to both the colour and flavour of raisins, the pasilla chilli is one of the main ingredients in Mexican mole. With chocolate overtones and a delicious fruitiness, this chilli is a must try. In its ground form, it is ready to use straight from the jar, ideal for quick moles, braises and marinades.

Heat Level: 4/10

Bohnenkraut, also known as summer savoury, has a flavour akin to a combination of marjoram, sage and thyme. It is sweeter, more delicate and less bitter than its close relative, winter savoury. As its German name suggests - bohnen 'bean', kraut 'herb' - it is a must in any German bean dish, especially bean soup. In Bulgaria, it is mixed with paprika and salt to replace salt and pepper on the table and is called sharena sol, or 'colourful salt'.

Quatre Épices is a staple of French cuisine. A warming blend of white pepper, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger, it brings depth and richness to classics like pâtés, ragouts and braises. Versatile across savoury and sweet dishes, use it in creamy béchamel and hearty stews, or to enrich pastry doughs, custards and puddings.