Blog

<!doctype html> View this email in your browser Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: 15 February marks Lupercalia — an ancient Roman festival celebrating the return of life after winter. Days becoming noticeably longer, fresh shoots beginning to appear (especially around the Mediterranean), and the natural world was quietly stirring again. Lupercalia was already around 1,200 years old when it was rep …

<!doctype html> We have finally cracked View this email in your browser I am not one for world days, the type that seem to celebrate the weirdest things, being in the food trade I get sent all sorts of info with one catching my eye this week, World Nutella DayA firm favourite is the hazelnuts croissants, a sheer delight at the weekend when I do treat myself.  A food not born from indulgence but from empty shelves, …

<!doctype html> View this email in your browser Garlic is one of those spices - either loved or hated, nothing has changed over the generations Garlic was once a spice to be kept at a distance. Its smell lingered too long, spoke too loudly, and refused to behave. In parts of Europe it was barred from temples, courts, and polite society, believed to offend gods and unsettle the refined. To eat garlic was to risk being j …

<!doctype html> View this email in your browser January is a busy month for the food trade, seems like its a month all about going to work and cooking food - our favourite subjectKeeping it simple and quick, we hope everyone enjoys the flavours, Steve and the Spice Team This weeks discount code isPureSpices25Good for 1 use per customer, expires 26th Jan Spice Shop Entrance …

<!doctype html> View this email in your browser We were grinding an East African pepper blend the other day and it reminded me of a question we get asked a lot — can you source more African spices? Sometimes we can. Quite often we can’t, and it’s usually not down to a lack of quality or care at source. A lot of it comes down to modern food regulations. In some regions the soil is naturally high …

<!doctype html> View this email in your browser Across Europe, food traditions have outlasted borders, rulers, and religions. Empires shifted, beliefs changed, calendars were rewritten — yet people continued to gather at the turn of the year to share familiar food with family and friends. New Year moments have always been used to affirm hope, steady the spirit, and strengthen the bonds between generations.Long be …

<!doctype html> View this email in your browser The year may be closing, but in fields and gardens across the world, the work is already beginning again. As winter settles in, seeds are chosen, beds are prepared, and patient hands plan for the flavours yet to come. Many of the spices we treasure begin their next journey now: soil turned, seedlings started, roots strengthened quietly beneath the surface. This is t …

<!doctype html> View this email in your browser Everyone here wishes you a Merry Christmas - Happy Holidays and a flavoursome New YearWe are closing Tuesday 23rd, dispatching again Monday 29th and 30th, Closed New Years Eve and back 2nd JanuaryNext Discount Code will be sent Saturday 27thHave a warm, aromatic flavoursome week ahead, Steve and The Spice Team Browse the Spice Shop Here …

<!doctype html> The Third Door: Comfort in a Bowl View this email in your browser The Third Door: Stillness After Celebration After the feasting comes the stillness. Northern Europe has always kept a tender spot for the quiet days that follow celebration — a return to candlelight, soft spices and simple bowls that warm more than the hands that hold them. Nordic kitchens settle into rice porridge sprinkled with ci …

<!doctype html> The Second Door: Feasts That Bind Us View this email in your browser The Third Door: Feast of Mid-Advent By mid-Advent, the quiet anticipation gives way to something fuller. Medieval Europe adored a winter feast — partly for survival, partly for spectacle — and spices sat at the centre of it. Nutmeg, saffron, pepper and clove travelled from far-off ports into Nordic longhouses and British gr …