Spices

northwest1965

I use quite a lot of spices in my cooking. I was just wondering where everyone buys theirs from. They can be expensive in the supermarkets.

Bongedone

ASDA is cheap for spices so long as you get them from the ethnic section in bags. If you buy them from the spice section in jars then they are expensive.

Chinese and Asian supermarkets are also very cheap for them. It is generally the same bags that ASDA sells. Rajah is one brand name.

Gigervamp

Unfortunately, I don't have any ethnic shops near me, so I tend to buy my herbs and spices at Julian Graves, or I buy the bags from the ethnic section at Asda or Tesco.

bitemebankers

Gigervamp wrote: »

Unfortunately, I don't have any ethnic shops near me

No problem these days: http://www.natco-online.com/

They're they same brand my local Asian supermarket sells - fresher than the supermarket and a fraction of the price...literally.

Gigervamp

Thanks for that. Funnily, I was only thinking the other day that I should look for an online Asian supermarket!

midnightraven3

I also buy mine from ethnic shops at a fraction of the price

i see that as supermarkets are expanding their ranges they are now stocking spices in the bags that i buy rather than those tiny expensive glass jars, they are still more expensive than the chinese supermarket i use, but a lot cheaper than branded jars

foxgloves

I usually get mine from Julian Graves as you can get bigger bags. I decant them into glass coffee jars with the glass stopper type lids (my inlaws keep me supplied with an endless quantity of these!) & just do nice writing straight onto the side of the jar with a waterproof marker pen to say what's inside. We make lots of curries and find that the little glass jars are too fiddley & just don't contain enough.

midnightraven3

:eek:

i would weep at paying Julian Graves prices

JG charges £1.79 for 75g paprika, i pay 59p for 100g, Asda charge 65p 100g same bag
JG charges £1.79 for 100g cumin seeds, i pay 50p for 100g, Asda charge £1.88 same bag

i could go on, my chinese supermarket isnt on my door step, so i combine a visit with something else perhaps twice a year, because the prices are so small i can afford to stock for 6-12 months at a time

bitemebankers

That's exactly what I do, Midnight. Our 'local' store is about 15 miles away, so it's worth stocking up.

However, I try not to buy more than I can use in 6-12 months because spices do lose their flavour over time. Of course, buying whole spices (like cumin seed) is much better than buying ground spices, as regards keeping qualities.

Gigervamp

Just out of interest, what one herb and one spice does everyone use the most?
I find that I get through a lot of cumin and thyme.

midnightraven3

Paprika for us
i use boatloads of the stuff

is there ANYTHING it doesnt taste good with:D

i grow all my herbs, and use mountains of them,

i tend to coincide my spice shopping with my chutney making season so i use quite a bit straight away, and the rest, i only decant 1 bag intro a jar at a time, and keep the overflow in a big box under the stairs