A brand new range of hand roasted spices has been released by Norfolk-based The Fresh Spice Company. The company, a sub-brand of Seymours of England, mills, roasts and blends the spices fresh, and has created eight blends based on North African recipes (www.freshspicecompany.com)

Richard Seymour said, “The spice blends are incredible. Because we mill and roast the spices ourselves, the flavour is activated. Adding them to a marinade or in a dish such as a stew, casserole, or with rice lifts the whole dish, and can turn a mediocre dish into something from a Michelin-starred restaurant. The Dukkah blend and the Za’atar are used a bit differently. They can be used as a seasoning for salads, or sprinkled over soft cheese. Traditionally, Arabs mix with them a little olive oil and use as a dip. Delicious.”

The spices are available either in jars or in hessian sacks for selling loose. “Shops choosing to sell them loose from sacks recreates the look and feel of a Moroccan market. The look, feel and smell will make your customers feel like their walking through a Moroccan market! And once they’ve finished with their spices, they can return them for refills. We also include free recipe cards with every order for customers to take home.”

“Our research shows that shoppers are now eating out less and cooking more and more at home. Brits are very experimental and like to try cooking new dishes, and these blends make it a whole lot easier to achieve authentic flavours in the home.”

The eight blends are Baharat, Berberay, Chermoula, Dukkah, Harissa chilli paste, Ras al hanout, Tagine, Za’atar.