Herbs & Spices

Satay (or sate) is a dish of marinated meats traditionally skewered onto the midrib of the coconut leaf and served with a peanut sauce.

Malay Satay blend is sweet, fresh and warm, evoking the sunny joy of feasting on sticks of smoky succulent meat with friends and family. Use this to make a satay sauce or to marinate meat.

The Mayans began mixing cocoa with ground chilli and spices as early as AD 460, when they discovered the fantastic taste and health benefits of Mayan Chilli Chocolate. Rich, earthy and chocolatey with a slow-building heat that lingers rather than shouts. This blend is at home in both sweet and savoury dishes, from grown-up chocolate desserts to rich sauces and traditional Mexican moles.

Flavour Notes: Rich, slow-building heat, earthy, chocolatey

Cuisine: Guatemalan

Heat Level: 3/5

Until the mid-19th century, the Banda Islands were the world's only source of nutmeg and mace, harvested from the nutmeg tree. This nutmeg, ground from the highest grade of fruit, boasts strong aroma and flavour. Its resinous, sweet, heady fragrance adds depth and character to cakes, pies and all manner of baked goods. It also complements savoury cheese and cream dishes, and vegetables such as spinach, carrot and pumpkin.

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.

Stick your nose into a sack of cloves and you will understand why ancient mariners claimed to smell the approach of the clove islands while still far out to sea. A terrific and much-used pungent addition to Christmas ham and baked goods, stewed and pickled fruit and vegetables, cakes, pastries and biscuits, German Glühwein (also known as mulled wine), and many North African spice blends. Also known as: Nelke, ting-hiang.

Experience the lively jostling flavours of an authentic laksa with Laksa Lemak bend: it's a fragrant mix of warm, sunny spices, crushed tropical leaves and sweet pungent shrimp.

A popular Southeast Asian dish and one of the national foods of Singapore and Malaysia, laksa is a thick spicy coconut noodle soup typically topped with prawns, cockles, fish cakes and beansprouts. Making it is joyful in its sheer simplicity.

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

From Mediterranean to Asian cuisine, this raucous dish of crispy, salty, spicy tentacles has gripped our culinary imagination.

Our Salt & Pepper Squid Spice honours salt and pepper squid's Chinese roots with the floral, buzzing warmth of Sichuan pepper that complements a mouthwatering medley of two other peppers, chilli and salt. Use instead of regular salt and pepper to keep your dishes buzzing with flavour.

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

The ancient Greeks believed that thyme was a source of courage; they used it in baths and burnt it as incense in temples. Today, thyme is widely cultivated and used for its heady floral lemon scent.

Harvested from the garden or bulb variety in the US, this premium-grade onion powder is both sweet in aroma and sharp in taste. Like garlic, onion is one of the most universal ingredients in kitchens worldwide, and drying it concentrates its flavour into a milder, sweeter hit without the sharp bite or moisture of the raw bulb. It is an excellent substitute for fresh onion when no texture is desired, it also won't scorch over high heat the way chopped onion can.

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

Worn in a garland by Augustus Caesar to protect against lightning, Bay Leaf is more commonly used to flavour soups, stews and slow cooked dishes. Its pungent, sharp and bitter taste is strong, so add only a few whole leaves (even less in ground form) at the beginning of cooking.

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.

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

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.