Middle Eastern Spices

This wild and weedy perennial originated in Eastern Europe, where it still grows rampantly on road sides and in ditches. With anise-like characteristics, dill leaf is used to flavour pickles and preserves; garnish seafood, especially smoked salmon; and pep up white sauces.

Fenugreek seeds are used widely in Middle Eastern and South Asian cookery. In India and Pakistan, the seeds are added to vegetables and rice; in Turkey, to hot pastes; in Egypt, they are boiled for a sweetened tea. The sweet aroma of fenugreek seeds is similar to maple syrup, while their flavour is savoury and nutty.

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. These whole seeds are best toasted and ground fresh, or left whole for pickling or infusing into slow-cooked dishes.

Open a jar of our Cinnamon and once you smell the difference, you’ll realise that not all cinnamon is the same.
Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum - literally 'true cinnamon') is grown in Sri Lanka and has a sweeter, more floral and delicate character than anything you've likely used before. Our A Grade is the finest tier available, with a high essential oil content and an exceptional fragrance straight from the jar.
Subtly sweet and woody, cinnamon imparts a delicate warmth that melds and harmonises other flavours. It is beautiful used in baking, porridge and warm drinks, or added to savoury Moroccan and Indian dishes such as tagines and curries for a subtle, aromatic sweetness.

Aleppo Peppers are highly desirable for their fresh, fruity flavour and the mild heat that builds slowly on the palate. Aleppo Peppers have a salty, oily flavour that distinguishes them from their crushed red pepper or paprika siblings. These lustrous lacquer-red flakes will add an extra bit of heat and drama to your favourite dishes.

Heat Level: 3/10

While chillies are mostly used for their flavour and heat, paprika is used for its vibrant colour and full-bodied flavour. Also from the capsicum family, paprika is the name given to only slightly hot members. This paprika (also known as 'pimentón ahumado') is strongly smoked and neither sweet nor hot.

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, and many North African spice blends. This ground clove is milled fine and ready to use straight from the jar, an ideal option where whole cloves would be too strong or difficult to remove.

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.

By the time Marco Polo came across turmeric fingers in China, they had already spread throughout the world from their home in southern India. This batch is ground from the mature rhizome of the Curcuma longa plant, grown in the Madras region. Earthy, warm and faintly bitter, turmeric lends its vivid orange golden to Indian curries, rice dishes and Middle Eastern cooking. Also known as: Alleppey Turmeric, Indian Saffron, Madras Turmeric.

Nigella or kalonji is the botanical name of the plant evocatively known as 'love-in-a-mist'. These small black seeds do not have a strong aroma; the taste is nutty, earthy and slightly bitter, with a crunchy texture. In India, whole seeds are dry roasted or fried and spread over vegetarian dishes and salads.

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. This B-Grade saffron includes a touch more of the natural yellow style alongside the red stigma, giving it a slightly milder colour and flavour than A-Grade, at a more accessible price.

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. This whole pod is picked while still immature, ideal for infusing whole into simmering curries and rice, or splitting open to release the seeds and their aromatic oils.

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.

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 little bitter, even nutty, similar to caraway yet less intense. Also known as: Cummin, jeera

Not to be confused with mixed spice, allspice is so named for its exquisitely combinative tones of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. Allspice is an ingredient in mixed spice as well as sweet baked goods; pickles, relishes and preserves; gravies and marinades; and winter drinks. The deep, fruity warmth of these earth-coloured berries complements red meats, seafood and root vegetables. Native to the West Indies and Central America, allspice, also known as pimento, is a key ingredient in Caribbean recipes such as Jamaican jerk seasoning. Also known as: Pimento, Jamaica pepper, Myrtle pepper

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.