Cucurbita pepo

The glorious sweet orange flesh of this vegetable is used in everything from curries to pies.

Munch the seeds as a stand-alone …

Sodium Chloride, NaCl

The world’s most common condiment, salt is used all over the world from Telford to Timbuctoo. It’s such a basic requirement for life that all animals - including humans …

Spinacia oleracea

This nutritious, leafy green vegetable isn’t just for Popeye - it’s delicious raw or cooked in a multitude of tasty dishes. Both the botanical and common name for this plant …

Sesamum indicum Gingilli

Open sesame! Most people associate the name sesame with this command, given by Ali Baba to gain access to the thieves’ den in the Tales of 1001 Nights. It’s …

Illicium verum

This beautiful, unique spice is widely used in Chinese cookery. Although totally unrelated, it contains the same essential oils as anise, (anethole and anisole), but with a spicier, warmer flavour, …

8-10 - small to medium size …

Elaeis guineensis

A native of West Africa, the history of the use of this particularly rich source of edible vegetable oil can be traced back over 5,000 years to the days of …

Origanum vulgare - Wild marjoram

Origanum vulgare - Wild marjoram

This sweet, aromatic herb is very popular in Italian and Greek cooking.

If …

Arachis hypogaea

This crunchy multi-purpose member of the legume family can be a spread, a snack and an ingredient, as well as being the source for a wonderfully light …

Petroselinum crispum

Don’t push parsley to the side of your plate - this nutritious and useful herb is so much more than a garnish….