I love food and to cook it because I have full reign on what goes in it! That's the joy of being a self-proclaimed home chef š I get to do whatever I want haha. I love to explore various cuisines and the way I usually do this is by attempting to cook it at home first š Okay you might think that's weird - but I hate wasting food so if I make it myself, I can tweak the meal to my liking in the comfort of my kitchen!
To support my food exploration, I have collected a massive range of spices in my kitchen. From individual spices to make my own blend to premixed spice blends and marinades. The picture above is my "main" spice cupboard for what I use regularly organised on a budget š
For what spices you need, that's entirely up to what you enjoy cooking and eating. But for tips on the best places to get your spices - I've got you! You might say to yourself but those are all small stores bought containers I see so don't you just get them all from the supermarket? The short answer is absolutely not!
The long answer is - yes most were bought from the spiceās aisle at the supplier at some point, but this is because... 1. I was trying out a recipe for the first time or 2. I've had some since uni when I first had my own kitchen and just loved the idea of small spice containers šš
That takes me to tip number 1, buy spices in small portions if its the first time you are trying it out! This is because you may not like it and means there's less times to use it or waste! This can either be a small glass container (reusable) or a bag.
Next thing is to note what part of the world the spice is from. The reason for this 2nd point is if it's a popular cuisine in your area then the chances are there's a local shop which sells it in larger quantities at better prices than the supermarket. So once you've fallen in love with a certain meal and it joins your go to recipes- do a quick google search and you might be in luck.
I live in Leeds and I love African (Nigerian - West, South-south and some Northern), West Indian (Jamaica), and Asian (specifically Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai) dishes especially. So, I get my regular supply from places like the continental stores we have all around Leeds from the popular CC continental (https://www.instagram.com/cccontinentalstore/), African stores such as Aunty Pheby Foods (https://www.instagram.com/aunty_pheby_food/) to individual stall sellers in our massive Kirkgate indoor market. I have compared prices and for the most including seeds or spices you might use for baking like almond flakes, sesame seeds, chai seeds, cinnamon and sea salt. Local shops who import directly from the country are much cheaper. So now you have another reason to support local shopsš
Another way you could explore different dishes is by buying premixed spice blends. These can be from local vendors, supermarkets or even online from a popular specialist! These are great when a recipe calls for 20 individual ingredients and you're either not sure if you like it or donāt want to buy large quantities all at once. I've used several of these including simply cook, spice cartel (https://www.instagram.com/spicecartel/), and supermarkets. You'll see these in my recipes.
I really am passionate about cooking and try not to make it not cost a fortune. So, I hope I've helped you with my tips on how best to start trying new recipes that won't break the bank āš½ Let me know what you think in the comments, do you have somewhere you love to get your spices or will you be trying some new places?
As always, check my amazon list for my recommended brands for kitchenware and utensils updated when a post is published!
Happy Shopping!
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