Where do you buy your spices?

Lynne Guinne

Lynne Guinne

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In the past, I bought mine off the grocery store shelf from the major seasoning company widely available in our stores. (McCormick) It's what my Mom used, it's probably what my Grandma used...you get the idea. One day, while looking for a recipe for a blend to use on a beef roast, I ran across several comments about "Penzeys". How wonderful and different their offerings were. I requested a catalog, hubby and I took a ride to their "nearby" store (about 45 miles away but, hey, we're retired), and I bought. And tried. And they are very good! Then I read about the family dynamic on how Bill Penzeys' sister actually ran the family's original store, "The Spice House", founded by their parents. (Penzeys was her brother's company, starting a business under the family name.) I ordered a few things from them. Just as good! Sadly, their nearest store is over 1000 miles away, but that's what mail order is for. I also make runs to the local (20 miles) Mediterranean marketplace. They offer their spices in bulk, so if I need just enough to try for one recipe before I decide if I want more, I can always get that 20 cents worth of seasoning. Much better than being stuck with an ounce or two of something you end up not liking. :wink:

Do you buy your herbs and spices at the grocery store, a small ethnic market, or by mail?
 
Back in the 80s I used to buy my spices in Asian shops (either Leeds or Liverpool) in 250 - 500 gm bags for about a 5th of the price of Schwartz or McCormick jars. I still do the same but generally have to rely upon Makro having them in stock or having them brought by friends from Bangkok. Then they are decanted into purpose bought jars and any remainder sealed tight and stored in the fridge.

spices s.jpg


[Edit: If I don't store my jarred spices in the fridge (in the event of ant attacks), I keep them in a dark cupboard]
 
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I buy all my Asian spices and Moroccan (oak barrels) at the La Mercat de La Boqueria Central Market of Barcelona.

I also buy the staples ( basil, savory, orégano, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns either at El Corte Inglés International Market - Health Food Department or La Boqueria or from distributors of my parent´s business ..

I buy the rest from distributors and wholesalers directly ( saffron & marjoram & Provençales, Maquis de Hierbes ) ..

I grow Genovese Basil on my terrace along with lavender, rosemary, thyme, dill amongst several others .. Basil is quite delicate so they have a tiny corner with lots of light but not direct sun, which mine do not like.
 
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Back in the day when exotic spices were difficult to find, I used to take a train ride into the East End of London to visit the Asian grocers' shops (my trusty old cookery book used to give translations of most of the spice and herb names into various Indian languages, which was definitely needed in those days). Then our local supermarket started stocking McCormick (later renamed Schwartz in the UK) products, which made life a lot easier, although the range was still pretty small. Nowadays our huge local supermarket has best part of half an aisle devoted to herbs and spices, mostly Schwartz and their own brand, which I use regularly, as well as a large international section, and frozen herbs and spices. They stock bulk bags of regularly used ready-ground or crushed spices, as well as even larger bags of whole spices, plus a range of British-grown living herbs and occasionally miniature tomato plants which regularly find a space next to my kitchen window. I usually buy organic garlic, chillies and ginger direct from the farm. They grow quite a few herbs and spices now and I think the list of fresh items I buy may expand in the near future. I still keep a back up supply of dried herbs though.
 
I usually tend to buy spices at Esselunga and if I do not find what I'm looking for, the alternative is NaturaSì, organic stores where I also often go to buy non-commercial products. Or also - when I'm in Milano for work and also depends on the area where we make commercial - I look for something at the international stores where I probably find the best spices. A separate topic for saffron: being in Lombardia where saffron is famous, I buy it to farms.
 
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I get the basic things from my grocery stores. If it's something more unusual, I go to specialty markets. And, some things need to be ordered on-line. Speaking of which, I've had a hard time finding szechuan peppercorns locally (I went to an Asian market recently, but I didn't have time to figure out how it was organized, and I couldn't find anyone to help me). So, I placed an order just now. Thanks for the reminder! :okay:
 
Like @Yorky and @jennyb I buy spices in Asian supermarkets. Lately Tesco's have been stocking some of these Indian spices (same make as the Asian supermarkets) at a good price - this pack for example is £1.15 for 100g (0.12p per 10 g) compared to the Schwartz (similar to McCormick, I think) which is £1.50 for 31g (0.48 for 10g). So we are talking 4 times more per gram for the little jar.


East End Turmeric
IDShot_225x225-16.jpg




Schwartz Turmeric

IDShot_225x225-17.jpg
 
morning glory said:
Like @Yorky and @jennyb I buy spices in Asian supermarkets. Lately Tesco's have been stocking some of these Indian spices (same make as the Asian supermarkets) at a good price - this pack for example is £1.15 for 100g (0.12p per 10 g) compared to the Schwartz (similar to McCormick, I think) which is £1.50 for 31g (0.48 for 10g). So we are talking 4 times more per gram for the little jar.


East End Turmeric
View attachment 10588



Schwartz Turmeric

View attachment 10589
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I've been getting the East End spices for a while now, and locally they are often only 99p a pack. I get their canned stuff too when I can find it (it often works out cheaper than the Tesco value items. Sainsbury's round here can be cheaper still). Our local Tesco often have much larger packs of spices from other suppliers which work out even cheaper. Handy for someone like me who uses a lot. Tesco have really upped their ranges, as we have large numbers of Asian, African and Eastern Europeans living in this area.
 
Elawin said:
I've been getting the East End spices for a while now, and locally they are often only 99p a pack. I get their canned stuff too when I can find it (it often works out cheaper than the Tesco value items. Sainsbury's round here can be cheaper still). Our local Tesco often have much larger packs of spices from other suppliers which work out even cheaper. Handy for someone like me who uses a lot. Tesco have really upped their ranges, as we have large numbers of Asian, African and Eastern Europeans living in this area.
Click to expand...

Yes, the East End cans are great value too!
 
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