Imported products

Aromatic vanilla pods have been used for centuries – indigenous to Mexico, the Mayans valued the spice as much as they did cacao. They considered it to be an aphrodisiac as well as a useful way to flavour hot cacao drinks. Spanish explorers introduced vanilla to the rest of the world. While in its native lands, the vanilla fruit pods are pollinated by humming birds, it must be pollinated by hand in other tropical countries. This handling, along with the time taken for drying and processing, makes the beans expensive.
We have sourced the very best Tahitensis vanilla from New Guinea – 18.5 cm long, plump, pliable and juicy, dark chocolate brown/black in colour and with an intense vanilla aroma.

Saffron is the most seductive and mysterious of spices. Over thousands of years, saffron perfumed the halls of Crete’s palaces, made Cleopatra more alluring and decorated kings’ and queens’ dining tables in heavenly gardens of Persia. Its subtle flavour, distinct aroma and vibrant colour evoke a distinct sensory experience which can be hard to describe — some say floral, some say it’s like honey, and some would say simply pungent. Saffron gives that distinctive bright yellow/orange colour and pungency to authentic risotto milanese, bouillabaisse, paella, and biryanis.

Black garlic, a new staple of modern cooking, is produced by heating fresh garlic bulbs in particular conditions, over weeks, until caramelised or “browned”. The slow, moist, heating process slowly softens and blackens the garlic, producing a lingering sweetness as well as a distinct umami flavour – think liquorice, porcini mushroom or aged balsamic vinegar.