Kindred Spices

At medieval weddings in Germany, the bride and groom carried cumin, amongst other spices, in their pockets to secure themselves against infidelity. Generally, though, cumin is added to dishes all over the world for its warm, earthy aroma and flavour: a touch bitter, even nutty, similar to caraway yet less intense. Also known as: Cummin, jeera.

While chillies are mostly used for their flavour and heat, paprika is used for its vibrant colour and full-bodied, rich flavour. Also from the capsicum family, paprika is the name given to only slightly hot members. This paprika (also known as 'pimentón dulce') is sweet in flavour without any bitterness. It is well used in most European recipes including Hungarian gulasch and roast chicken.

Oregano is widely used in Turkish, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, Latin American and Italian cuisines. The dried leaves are often more flavourful than the fresh ones. With a strong, savoury aroma, oregano is commonly used in tomato sauces, soups, stews, pizza, pasta, grilled meats and is a great complement to olives, capers and spicy food.

Chocolate Spice uses Double Dutch cocoa and fragrant winter spices of ginger, clove and nutmeg to give warmth to baked goods, cookies and hot chocolate. Simply substitute Chocolate Spice for some of the cocoa in any chocolate-flavoured recipe. It's delicious when used to spice up chocolate cakes, cream fillings or added to your morning coffee for a spiced mocha.

Flavour Notes: Warmly spiced, rich, fragrant

Cuisine: Dutch

Heat Level: 0/5

Our great grandmother Rosa taught us how to make this traditional Hungarian gulyás and we still love it! With classic flavours of paprika and aromatic stewing spices of onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf, this versatile blend may also be used to braise meats and vegetables, and to flavour any tomato-based dishes such as minestrone and red sauces.

Flavour Notes: Earthy, savoury, mildly smoky

Cuisine: Hungarian

Heat Level: 0/5

Lavender, thyme and other aromatic herbs litter the fields in France's Provence, and here are blended into the region's famous herb mixture. Aromatic, floral and sophisticated, our version of Herbes de Provence adds orange peel and raspberry leaf for something different. Use in casseroles, vegetable dishes and in sauces.

Flavour Notes: Herbaceous, floral, bright

Cuisine: French

Heat Level: 0/5

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.

Rumoured to have originated from the cold lands of Siberia, garlic (like its relative, the onion) has been gracing dishes since ancient times, and remains one of the most universal ingredients in kitchens around the world. In powder form, its flavour is punchier and more concentrated than fresh garlic, and it blends evenly into rubs, marinades and dressings.

The first recorded soups can be dated back to 6000 BC, where the main ingredient was hippopotamus! Like sofrito, mirepoix or a robust blend of sautéing aromatics, Winter Soup Mix gives you a great flavour base for clear or thick winter soups. Use generously and season to taste.

This carefully crafted spice blend contains all the Christmas spices to bake the traditional puddings and rich fruit cakes which fill your house with warm and sweet smells. An old tradition dictates that Christmas pudding be made on the last Sunday before Advent. Cooks combine their secret ingredients - dried fruits, nuts, swigs of this and that liquor. Before putting it in cloth, every member of the family stirs the pudding and makes a special wish.

This tuberous rhizome has been travelling across oceans since Chinese navigators began growing it in planter boxes onboard their vessels. Versatile and well represented in many cuisines, ginger in its powdered form can be added to stir-fry dishes, noodles and rice, sauces and marinades.

Warming and full of character, Immunity Blend brings together garlic, turmeric, ginger, clove in one versatile blend. Add it to soups, smoothies, omelettes and other beverages – a little goes a long way. Just as good all year round as in Winter.

All parts of the coriander plant are edible, with the seeds releasing a lemony citrus flavour when ground. Coriander seeds complement both sweet and savoury foods and are often dry roasted to enhance and alter the aroma. Found in many different cuisines around the globe, the uses are plenty, from curries to pickling, and sausages to cakes.

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.

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.

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