Newsletter Spring 2016

September 01, 2016 posted in General

Have you all enjoyed the Olympic experience this year?  Although not great sport addicts, we took the opportunity to celebrate South America in our own way, calling upon our Tempero Baino and Chimichurri spice mixes to take us, in an armchair kind of way, to all the excitement.  We’re quite addicted to the seafood stew on the back of the Tempero Baiano pack, ringing our own changes with frozen prawns, baby octopus and mussels.  It will forgive any transgressions, so long as you keep the basic vegetable component fairly consistent.

We took a short holiday recently, (no work involved at all, quite a change from our usual overseas trips).  It was pleasing to find that many coffee shops in Copenhagen provide shakers of ground cardamom and ground cassia for customers to add their own spicy topping to their cappuccinos.  Not quite as well-balanced and rounded as our own Herbie’s Spice Dust, but a welcome discovery in a country where spice use is generally restricted to allspice, horseradish and mustard.

When it comes to those iconic Scandinavian open sandwiches, even those who don’t fancy huge doses of horseradish can enjoy the gentle nuances of this pungent spice when it’s mixed with a creamy base and teamed with the fantastic seafood of the region.

Spring Box of Ideas

Revisiting open sandwiches after so many recent years of sourdough and flatbreads inspired us to include horseradish in the new Spring Box of Ideas, (in our gorgeous new sunny-blue-sky box) along with two other tasty blends, Harissa and Zalt – It’s Not Salt, to add zing and interest to your spring meals, snacks and picnics.  There’s our excellent ground nutmeg in there, too, for even more than the delicious cake on the back label. If you are a lover of horseradish, you may find ready-made pastes in tubes somewhat disappointing. With our dried horseradish powder, you are getting nothing but dehydrated horseradish, so you can have the full breath-snatching, eye-watering experience if you want to.  For others, of course, making your own gives you the power to be light-handed and just enjoy a nuance of that horseradish flavour, if that’s all you want.

Australian Native Herbs and Spices

Way back before the turn of the century we created two blends featuring Australian native herbs and spices: Native Barbecue and Aussie Fish Seasoning, and they have been consistently popular for more than sixteen years.  In our recent Summer newsletter, we warned that due to climatic conditions, there was an availability crisis brewing … well, it’s hit.  You will see on the website that the True Blue Aussie spice kit is temporarily unavailable, and ingredients for our Aussie blends have almost run out.

What to do?  As an interim measure, we’ve made a blend as close as possible to Native Barbecue, and it’s called Aussie Barbecue Spice.  Whilst it still contains those native ingredients that are still available, it has been adjusted to keep as close as possible to the general flavour of the original, using other spices.  We are not treating this as a new product, rather as a temporary replacement, although at present it’s showing on our website in addition to the final stock of our Native Barbecue Spice. But hey, if you love it, we’ll make it permanent!

Vanilla

Our beautiful Vanilla Beans from Nuie are in short supply right now.  Worldwide production of vanilla, and of vanilla products such as paste and extract, is down, making them more difficult to get, and correspondingly, the price is rising.  We still have our beautiful gourmet-grade Mexican beans and extract, but may sadly have to be without some vanilla products for a little while until conditions improve.

Events

When we closed the Rozelle retail store, we promised that we’d get out and about to visit other parts of Australia.  We have done two very successful degustation spice dinners at The Three Weeds in Rozelle, and have been to the lovely folk at Paterson Cooking School at Warana on the Sunshine Coast in August, and Herbie and Kate will present a class at The Essential Ingredient in Rozelle on Sunday 11th September. We’ll be in Darwin in September to do a dinner at Jimmy Shu’s Hanuman Restaurant on Friday evening 16th, and a Spice Appreciation Class on Saturday 17th at Parap Fine Foods.  You will always find our upcoming activities on the website.  Go to “Events” on the home page, click on it and it will take you to the next thing that’s happening.  Click on “All Events” at the top of that page, and you can see everything that’s coming up.

Peanut Allergies

Peanut allergies are nasty and dangerous.  As careful as we are with all our spices, they do come from countries where peanuts may be traded in the same area as spices, causing the slimmest possibility of contamination.  You all know how much we value your trust in us, and from time to time, some products may carry a “may contain traces of nuts” statement, just to protect the most vulnerable.

Gift Purchases

Don’t you hate it when the December credit card statement comes in, laden with all your gift purchases plus the extra catering and entertaining expenses that the festive season always brings?  Here’s a solution … do your gift purchasing in November, to keep you credit card balance manageable.  You can choose the spice kits you want in November, tell us when you order just when you’d like them dispatched to you, and relax knowing it’s all sorted when December comes around.  This year we’re introducing our cute new boxes for the ever-popular $25.00 range, which includes our seasonal Box of Ideas (new each season), Sweet and Scrumptious, Herbie’s Saturday Curry, Baby Spice, Finger Food, and Take Five (which features our five best-selling blends).

And on the subject of the spice kits, they’re terrific gifts for staff or clients, so give us a call if you’d like to discuss any special requirements or volumes. We can customize a kit for you, and include your wording on the label – just call us!

Enjoy the warmer weather, and cook up a storm – using only the best herbs, spices and blends, of course!  Happy spicing!

Herbie and Liz

Explore All
post

The Mystique of Baharat Spice Blend

Baharat, also known as Lebanese Seven Spice or Advieh, has become one of the many ‘go-to’ spice blends along with Ras el Hanout and Chermoula. Herbie, always up to date or ahead with spice trends, was asked to contribute this article to Australian Gourmet Traveller in 1999. Yes, 24 years ago! This is the article: Legendary spice merchant and blender, Ian (Herbie) Hemphill, has

post

Herbie’s Spices Newsletter Winter 2023

When we started our operations on the Central Coast of NSW, it was a sleepy area in many ways.  How things have changed in 20 years!  We are pleased to announce that we have joined the vibrant Central Coast Maker’s Trail. Whether you have a few hours or an entire weekend to explore the Central Coast, the Makers Trail is the perfect adventure. This
post

Herbie’s Spices Newsletter Summer 2022 – 2023

Isn’t it surprising how quickly the seasons revolve?  Our hearts go out to those who have suffered immensely from the floods and wild weather in so many states.  For those more fortunate, we continue to eat and enjoy each other’s company.  Whether we’re celebrating Christmas, or just being together with loved ones on any other day of summer, food is always an important part
post

Meal Ideas for Isolation

We thought that in these unprecedented times, it would be appropriate to share some handy meal ideas to ease the stress of isolation and potentially limited food sources. Having to self-isolate creates an opportunity to brush up your cooking skills and have some fun experimenting with some flavours you may not have tried before. Let’s face it, everyone can cook. Have you ever grilled
post

Spices and Spice Blends for Vegetarian and Vegan Cooking

In this short video, Ian "Herbie" Hemphill talks about how Herbie's Spices, herbs and spice blends are all suitable for vegetarian and vegan cooking. A great spice blend for vegan meals is Aloo Gobi Masala. All ingredients are listed on the labels, so you know exactly what you are getting. For a wealth of information on spices, herbs and making your own spice blends,
post

Herbie’s Newsletter Summer 2019 – 2020

We’re all in accord about single-use plastics. Having seen huge drifts of plastic in the pristine seas off the Indonesian islands, we know just how important it is to get rid of those shopping bags, plastic wraps and sandwich bags. When one gets emotional about bad plastics, it’s easy to begin to demonize all plastics, and perhaps it’s timely to repeat this message from our Newsletter of some years ago.

post

Spices & More in South India Jan-Feb 2020

We invite you to join us, Herbie and Liz, as we return to our beloved India to take you to some places where many tourists don’t go! And some amazing places that you just can’t miss. This is designed as a holiday, not an endurance test, and we have made the itinerary a little more leisurely than some earlier tours, so that you arrive home refreshed and well. Be a part of our small group and join the fun!

post

Herbie’s Newsletter Spring 2019

What kind of meal do you think of when you hear the word “curry”?  The origin of our English word is Kari, meaning a spiced sauce.  The English took the idea back home from the colonies, and the classic Madras curry – well-balanced and flavoursome - became a staple in the English household.  The French, meanwhile, had colonized the Pondicherry area on the south-eastern
post

Newsletter Winter 2019

What is Single Origin? We see it emblazoned on tea, coffee, spices and other foodstuffs.  It’s pretty simple really.  If all your potatoes have been grown in the Hunter Valley, they are single origin from that region – they don’t all have to come from the same farm. If, say, a coffee blender buys beans from Africa and South America, and mixes them all
post

Easter Spice Essentials

With Easter just around the corner, it’s time to think about the spices you’ll need for your Easter recipes. For all those sweet recipes such as cakes, biscuits and hot cross buns, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and cardamom are traditional, along with Mixed Spice. For extra fragrance and flavour, try using our Fragrant Sweet Spice Blend as an aromatic substitute. Easter is a great time
post

What is Mastic?

Mastic is the name given to the resinous gum that exudes from the scored bark of the Gum Mastic Tree. There are many varieties of mastic trees (Pistacia lentiscus) in the Mediterranean and Middle East, yet most of the world’s production of gum mastic comes from the “Protected Designation of Origin” trees (P. lentiscus var. Chia) that grow on the Greek island of Chios. The name
post

Herbie’s Kitchen Monthly Update March 2024

LATEST RECIPES FROM KATE AT HERBIE'S KITCHEN   Welcome to the March recipe newsletter, with our favourite recipes for a spice-filled Easter.  For those off on a camping or self-catering adventure, check out our Happy Campers Spice Kit for some spicy shortcuts and holiday recipes and ideas.  You can see all the Easter category recipes HERE.     EASTER BREAKFAST PUDDING This take on
post

Herbie’s Spices Newsletter Autumn 2024

Isn’t it wonderful that our Australian eateries, even in country towns, offer a wide and diverse range of cuisines?  It’s taken for granted that we have a choice of Italian, Turkish, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Indian, and so many more, thanks to the migrants who have chosen to live here and share their fabulous food with us. Mexican is becoming popular, but seems to be
post

Herbie’s Kitchen Monthly Update February 2024

LATEST RECIPES FROM KATE AT HERBIE'S KITCHEN   We've been inspired by the recent Lunar New Year to revisit our favourite Chinese-inspired dishes. Spices are an essential part of Chinese cuisine.. the unmistakeable aroma of Star Anise, or the numbing effect of Sichuan Pepper and the bite of hot dried Chilli. We have a variety of blends to make your favourite dishes with ease.  For younger
post

Herbie’s Kitchen Monthly Update January 2024

LATEST RECIPES FROM KATE AT HERBIE'S KITCHEN   HAPPY NEW YEAR! We hope everyone had a wonderful festive season and that you are enjoying the Australian summer.  This month we have some spicy salads for you - whether it's to pack and take to work, have as a side to a bbq, or to have as a simple dinner on a warm evening. Spices
post

Pepper and Salt

In India, Pepper is the King of Spices and Cardamom the Queen! Recipes say "Season to taste" and people ask "With what?" Answer: to season always means with salt. We were visited by a lovely customer, David. David wanted to know what are the best peppercorns, and all the food shops he visited told him that they had all kinds of salt, but "Yeah,
post

What’s so Special About Aleppo Pepper?

Besides being a popular spice for Yotam Otolenghi, Aleppo Pepper is becoming the go-to chilli for many cooks and food lovers. Why would a style of chilli be called a pepper? After all it is not a peppercorn! Let’s start with a bit of background. You may recall that Christopher Columbus was sailing west to get to the Indonesian spice islands, because he guessed

post

Herbie’s Spices Newsletter Summer 2023 – 2024

It’s about this time of year that we wonder where the year has gone.  It seems only last week that we packed away the Christmas decorations, and now – already!! – it’s time to be decking the halls, jingling the bells, and spicing all sorts of Christmas foods from pudding and cake to mulled wine and ham.  If you’ve not yet done your cake
post

Herbie’s Kitchen Monthly Update November 2023

LATEST RECIPES FROM KATE AT HERBIE'S KITCHEN The countdown is on!  This month we're giving you some delicious recipes that you can make now to get ahead for entertaining or gifting. If you are starting to plan Christmas Day, our Christmas Feast Spice Kit has 8 packs of premium Herbie's Spices and 12 festive recipes.  From spiced cocktail biscuits, to ham, to mulled wine
post

Herbie’s Kitchen Monthly Update October 2003

LATEST RECIPES FROM KATE AT HERBIE’S KITCHEN For people with intolerances or special diets, spices are an excellent way of adding flavour when avoiding a variety of other ingredients Our Recipe Page has a handy check box for vegetarian, vegan, nut free, dairy free, gluten free, keto, paleo, low-fodmap and healthy eating categories (please bear in mind we are not trained in nutrition, and

post

Herbie’s Kitchen Monthly Update September 2003

LATEST RECIPES FROM KATE HEMPHILL AT HERBIE’S KITCHEN Longer evenings are just beginning, and depending on where you are, perhaps you’re eating dinner outside already.  It’s also a time that we look to lighter fare (although to us curry is definitely a year-round meal); with crunchy salads, fresh seasonal veg, and grills on the menu. Check out our Al Fresco Dining Spice Kit, which

post

Herbie’s Spices Newsletter Spring 2023

Have you discovered our Black Garlic Powder?  In our house it adds a delicious umami to so many things … like sprinkled over buttered toast, topped with scrambled eggs.  If you already have this delicious product in your pantry, you will have noticed that it tends to go into a hard lump after a few months.  This is because it’s simply black garlic, ground,

Join the inner circle

Herbie’s Spices Inner Circle fills a need in the community of cooks and food lovers for early-access & upcoming events to all those hard-to-find herbs and spices.

Please enter valid email.
Subscribe