Spice blends for pasta, curry, tacos and vegetables

A blend built around one dish

Every blend here starts from a dish or a cuisine. Nonna Norma holds dried aubergine, tomato, garlic and Mediterranean herbs, which is the flavour of pasta alla Norma. Zesty Za'atar runs on thyme, sumac, sesame and a little Aleppo pepper. You do not need eight jars to season one sauce. Chloë and Dax mix each blend in small batches in Brussels.

Which spice blend for what you are cooking

Pasta and Mediterranean cooking

Bella Italia takes its cue from Sicily and goes into pasta, onto pizza and into an olive oil dip for bread. Nonna Norma is for pasta with tomato and fried aubergine. Gardener's Harvest (dill, parsley, chives and shallot) suits salads, roast vegetables and eggs. If you love garlic, stir Garlic Lovers' Gold into softened butter.

Curry, rice and Chinese cooking

For curry, choose between Thai Red Curry and Chiang Mai Curry, which comes from northern Thailand and was inspired by khao soi. Indian Butter Bliss is made for butter chicken. Royal Biryani Blend belongs in rice dishes. Fabulous Five Spice works in meat and vegetable dishes, and in desserts too. There are more in the curry blends collection.

Mexico and the Caribbean

Papa Pastor Taco Seasoning uses achiote and habanero and is for tacos and marinated meat. Mole Rojo Fiesta (red chillies and tomato) and Mole Negro Mystery (dark chocolate and smoky black chillies) are for mole. Caribbean Jerk brings Scotch Bonnet and allspice to chicken on the barbecue.

Middle East and Scandinavia

Zesty Za'atar goes on roast carrots, hummus, oven-roasted chicken and a plate of olive oil and bread. Nordic Wild mixes earthy mushrooms, herbs and warm spices, and it suits Nordic-style cooking, say fried mushrooms or a creamy potato bake.

How to use a spice blend

Stir the blend into oil for a marinade, add it to a sauce or scatter it over vegetables before they go in the oven. Start small, taste, then add more. Many blends contain salt, so read the ingredients on the product page before you season further. Each product page lists ingredients and ideas for using the blend.

Single spices still earn their place when you want full control. A blend is for the evening when a dish calls for five or six spices and you would rather not measure them. That is a matter of taste, not a rule.

Three dishes to start with

Pasta alla Norma with Nonna Norma is a pasta dish built around the blend. Tacos with Papa Pastor start with marinated meat. And shakshuka with Zesty Za'atar is a thirty-minute dinner you will keep making. In all three the blend does the heavy lifting and you just bring the rest together.

Storing spice blends

Keep the jar closed, dry and out of the light, and not right above the hob. The longer a jar stays open, the weaker the aroma gets. The best-before date is printed on the jar.

A tip from Chloë and Dax

Fry curry and taco blends in hot oil for about half a minute before adding any liquid. The smell opens up and the sauce tastes rounder. Looking for a present? See the gifts collection, or read the guide to every blend and what to cook with it.