Its mild, aromatic, liquorice flavour enhances meat and fish dishes and it can be used whole or finely ground in vegetarian Indian dishes. Chew a few seeds after a meal to ‘freshen’ the breath.

Sesame seed has a fresh, nutty flavour and is widely used as a bread topping. It also makes an interesting garnish to salad and vegetable dishes. Ground sesame seed is the principal ingredient in tahini.

Cloves was one of the earliest spices to reach Europe and is prized for its strong, sweet, aromatic flavour. It is particularly well suited to flavour pork or ham dishes and is also used with stewed or baked fruit. Remove before serving.