If you’re anything like me you will love a little spice or an interesting salt to add to your food. One of my favourite things to do whilst travelling is to pick up a spice mix to try when I get home. I was lucky to get in some travel to Ethiopia and Morocco before the world shut down last year and picked up some lovely spices there.
Luckily for us in the UK we’re able to get our hands on all of these beautiful spices and store cupboard condiments. Shops like Spice Mountian in Borough Market are a wonderland of flavour. I have listed some of my favourite spices and some delicious flavoured salts, that you may like to try. Storage solutions for your seasonings can make a difference in how you use them. If you have them to hand they will be used more than those little glass pots lurking in your cupboard.
SMALL STORAGE BOWLS
I like to store my salt and spices in small bowls. They look great in a kitchen and make it feel like it’s a space for creating flavour. When I’m cooking I find it incredibly helpful to have the seasoning to hand to throw in when needed.
You can find cute pots in vintage shops or handmade pots such as the tactile Tamegroute bowls.
Spice recommendation: Ras El Hanout, £7.20, Spice Mountain
From Spice Mountain… ‘It’s all in the name! Literally meaning ‘top of the shop’, this complex Moroccan blend of spices traditionally represents the best a spice merchant has to offer. Amongst the spices included are the bold flavours of cumin and cloves paired with the more delicate and fragrant flavours of rose petals and lavender. This blend lends itself especially well to slow-cooked dishes, as the individual flavour of each spice, from robust and spicy to sweet and floral, is perfectly balanced out as the dish cooks.
Ras El Hanout is also perfect for livening up such things as a simple lentil soup, or a vegetable stew or sprinkling on meat, chicken or fish before grilling
Ingredients:
cumin, ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, coriander, allspice, paprika, mace, cardamom, nutmeg, caraway, cloves, chilli, rose petals, lavender”
Spice recommendation: Berbere, £8.99, Ethiopian Foodie
From Ethiopian Foodie…”Berbere is the queen of Ethiopian spice blends. There is hardly a dish that doesn’t rely on its fiery notes. The blend is built around the berbere chilli, with various other fresh herbs and dry spices giving a lovely depth of flavour. Every household has its own recipe so no berbere is the same. Our blend uses Amaarech’s original recipe.
Berbere is used to make miser wot, squash wot, tofu tips, awaze, and many other dishes (full recipes can be found in my ebook). Berbere is at home in Ethiopian dishes but loves to be taken out of its comfort zone. Add it to sauces, soups, marinades, and roasts. Why not mix it with a little red wine, mustard, and honey to create a scrumptious dip? This versatile blend will not disappoint! You will find more recipe suggestions in my ebook, Instagram page, and the recipes section of the website.
Ingredients:
Ethiopian red pepper, ajwain, nigella, coriander, fenugreek, clove, cassia seeds, garlic, ginger, onion, and various other herbs and spices”
Spice recommendation: Seaweed Salt, £4-9, Spice Mountain
From Spice Mountain…”New to our range of seasoned salts is this one from France, a delicious blend of top quality fleur de sel and ‘salade de Mer, seaweed flakes. The salt is very attractive, using three different types of seaweed (dulse, sea lettuce and nori) of different colours. The seaweed brings a unique flavour, salty as you would expect but also similar to spinach.
The seaweed contains a good dose of nutrients including iron. This salt works exceptionally well with fish and other seafood but is also good on grilled or roast chicken and pork. It can also be used as part of a salad dressing, and in Japanese dishes, and finally, it makes a great table salt with a difference for that special meal”
Spice recommendation: Spicy Cajun Salt, £8.32, Piccantino
From Piccantino…”This composition of spices was inspired by the southern states of the USA and perfectly suits spicy stews or grilled meat and seafood… Un, dos, très bon appétit!
Ingredients:
Sea Salt, Garlic, Paprika, Onions, Pepper, Cumin, Coriander, Lemon peel, Chilli Pods, Ginger, Turmeric, Caraway, Cardamom, Oregano, Thyme, Marjoram”
A little something to store the spices in
This storage pot from Chabi Chic is a great way to take your spices out of the cupboard into the light onto the kitchen worktop ready to use. Pair it with two walnut spoons from Chabi Chic, back in stock soon.
