Indian Curry Spices & Herbs

Healthy Dried Fruits & Nuts

Spicy Pickles & Chutneys

Parsley

No kitchen should be without a good supply of this multi-purpose herb. It can be used as a garnish and flavouring and as a vegetable. There are two main varieties: curly leaf and flatleaf. Both can be used for the same purposes, although flatleaf parsley has a stronger flavour and tends to be favoured in Mediterranean cooking. Parsley can be used in almost any savoury dish. It's especially good used in great quantities in fresh salads or in soups and sauces. Chop or shred it and mix with butter to melt over fish or to glaze vegetables.

Thyme

There are many different varieties, both cultivated and wild, but the most widely used is the common garden thyme. The intensely pungent flavour complements most meats, including chicken and game. Its robust nature means that it can withstand long cooking times and it's a good complement to slow-cooked dishes such as stews and daubes.

Tarragon

An aromatic herb, often used in French cooking. Its long, soft green leaves have a distinctive aniseed flavour and can be used to flavour oils and vinegars. Dried tarragon retains much of the flavour of fresh, so it's fine to use if you can't find fresh. Tarragon is particularly good with chicken but also use it to flavour salads and egg dishes and as a flavouring for fish.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a most versatile herb with a flavour that complements a wide variety of dishes and ingredients. Native to the Mediterranean, its bittersweet green leaves look similar to pine needles. The plant is an evergreen shrub, so the leaves are available fresh all year round. (If fresh isn't available then dried rosemary is useful to have in the store cupboard, but replace it often because it loses its potency and flavour after a few weeks.)

Basil

A versatile and widely used aromatic herb. There are numerous species of basil; some have scents reminiscent of pineapple, lemon, cinnamon or cloves; others have beautiful purple leaves. The plant grows well in warm climates and is widely used throughout southern Europe, particularly the Mediterranean, and in many parts of Asia.

Sage

Sage  is native to the Mediterranean. The colour of the downy leaves and the flavour varies but, in essence, it's a very strong aromatic herb with a slight bitterness that can withstand long cooking times and still retain flavour. The strong flavour of sage means that a little goes a long way, especially if you're using dried sage, so use sparingly. It goes well with pork, beef, duck and chicken recipes, and fatty meats in particular.