Spice Blog

Understanding Spices

Having guests over for dinner? Steak is always a winner. A juicy, perfectly seasoned and cooked steak is a luxury that most of us usually only enjoy at a restaurant....

Understanding Spices

‘I’ll have a Madras please’. It’s a phrase spoken by people throughout curry houses and Indian restaurants up and down the country every single night. It’s hot, spicy, delicious and,...

Understanding Spices

Variety is the spice of life - and spices give variety to our cooking. Herbs and spices are a great way of adding flavour and aroma to dishes. They’re also...

Understanding Spices

The chicken Korma. This well-renowned Indian curry can be found on every Indian restaurant menu around the world. The curry sauce itself can be found on supermarket shelves everywhere. If...

Understanding Spices

In this day and age, you’d be hard-pressed not to have come across some sort of podcast. They seem to be everywhere these days, with anyone seemingly jumping on the...

Understanding Spices

Vindaloo is a popular Indian curry originating from the Goa region on the west coast of India. It’s a hot, fiery and tangy dish made with meat, vegetables and plenty...

Understanding Spices

Have you ever had a Korai curry? It’s a classic Indian dish, served up in Indian restaurants around the world. Or how about a karahi? A kadai, or a kadhi?...

Meet the Expert

Please could you tell us about yourself? Hello, I am a former publisher and food and wine writer. I’ve lived in London for most of my life, with spells in...

Understanding Spices

Let's Curry a Little Flavour! Although curries have become an integral part of the British way of life and one of the most popular dishes consumed in restaurants and 'take...

Understanding Spices

Do you like onions and big, bold spices? If the answer’s yes, chances are you’ll love Dopiaza curry. While not quite as renowned as classics such as the Balti or...

Understanding Spices

A Dhansak (Dansak) is a popular Indian dish which combines elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine. It consists of meat cooked with lentils and vegetables. The dish was introduced to...

Meet the Expert

Please could you tell us about yourself? Hello I’m Christine McFadden. I’ve been involved with food one way or another for the past 25 years. I write cookbooks and magazine...

Understanding Spices

No matter which Indian restaurant you’re eating at, we can guarantee Batli is on the menu. You can bet your house on it. We all love to see that beautifully...

Understanding Spices

If you’ve ever been to an Indian restaurant or ordered Indian takeaway, then it’s likely you’ve seen bhuna on the menu. But what exactly is it? And how is it...

Meet the Expert

Please could you tell us about yourself? My blood pounds with pioneering. Is this because I am a gt-gt-gt-gt grandson of Fletcher Christian, leader of the 1789 mutiny on Bounty...

Meet the Expert

About Manju Malhi Manju Malhi, a TV chef and a cookbook author, was born in England to Indian parents. She grew up in West London surrounded by Indian culture, traditions...

Understanding Spices

Rum is one of the most popular spirits in the world, consumed by millions every week. Whether it’s a straight shot of the good stuff or a delicious cocktail at...

Understanding Spices

Cooking with fish and seafood is great. There’s so much choice, whether it’s fish, prawns, squid, scallops, mussels, oysters, langoustines - the list goes on. The best thing about them...

News

As some of you older “Pioneers” may know – Mark Steene founded Seasoned Pioneers back in the 1990’s from his flat in Toxteth, Liverpool. He handed the reins to me...

Understanding Spices

If you think that spices only work for savoury dishes, think again. Spices are used in desserts all around the world. In Mexico, chocolate desserts often use chili which gives...

Meet the Expert

Please could you tell us about yourself? For the majority of my working life I have worked as a freelance writer and broadcaster, with articles on the Middle East dating...

Spicy Adventures

You’d be forgiven for tarring German cuisine with a generic brush of ‘not very spicy’. As delicious as they are, all those boiled veg and potatoes, braised meats, succulent sausages...

Meet the Expert

Please could you tell us about yourself? Hello – I’m Sarah Beattie and I’m a food writer. I have always been interested in food and, from a very early age,...

Understanding Spices

As the sun shines brighter and the days grow longer, summer beckons us to gather outdoors and savour the rich, smoky flavours of a perfect BBQ. This year, elevate your...

Understanding Spices

We are willing to bet that you have a bag of lentils hiding in the back of your cupboard right now! They are just that kind of thing - you...

Spicy Adventures

Singapore is one of those renowned world cities that you must visit at least once in your lifetime. Lying just one degree north of the equator (it is incredibly hot...

Understanding Spices

The Mediterranean. Is there a more famous sea? A better embodiment of paradise? You’d be hard pressed to find it. The area is renowned for its world-class holiday destinations from...

Understanding Spices

What is Paella? Originating from a region called Valencia on the east coast of the country, paella is a rice dish which is internationally seen as Spain’s national dish (although...

Spicy Adventures

The Manhattan dream rising up from the South China Sea. It can only be Hong Kong - a special city, lusted after and fought over for centuries. It’s a unique...

Understanding Spices

What is biryani? Biryani - that delicious Indian dish consisting of rice flavoured with spices and layered with either lamb, chicken, fish or vegetables and a thick gravy. Each region...

Understanding Spices

Seeds for Bread Is there anyone who doesn't go weak at the knees when confronted by the sensational aroma of freshly baked home-made bread? For almost sixty years we have...

Understanding Spices

From Jamaica to the Dominican Republic and Haiti to Barbados, nowhere does food quite like the Caribbean. You’ll often find a beautiful variety of spices mixed into all kinds of...

Spicy Adventures

What is pho? Vietnam’s national dish, pho is a traditional noodle soup. Go anywhere in just about any city, town or village in Vietnam first thing in the morning and...

Understanding Spices

London. What hasn’t been said about this capital of capitals? It is one of the greatest cities on earth and, at one point, was the very centre of it. As...

Understanding Spices

How to reduce salt in your diet without compromising on flavour If you suffer from high blood pressure, kidney disease or heart failure, you might be wanting to reduce the...

Featured, Understanding Spices

Spices and herbs are a staple of every kitchen providing interest to many dishes by enlivening the taste buds. Not only have they played a role in cooking but, historically,...