Other Fresh

Fresh Thai herbs are the difference between a Thai curry that tastes right and one that merely tastes nice, and this collection stocks the fresh produce that supermarkets do not: lemongrass, kaffir lime, coriander roots, pandan and the vegetables that go with them.

The holy trinity of Thai cooking is all here: lemongrass for its citrus stalks, kaffir lime — fruit and leaves — for that unmistakable perfume, and galangal's cousins on the spice side. Coriander roots, pounded into curry pastes, bring a depth the leaves never can. Pandan leaves scent rice, curries and desserts with their vanilla-green fragrance. On the vegetable side there are Thai round aubergines, pea aubergines, winged beans, red shallots and fresh green peppercorns on the stem — the ingredients that make a green curry taste like Thailand.

Fresh herbs like these are worth buying generously: lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and pandan all freeze well, so a week's supply can stretch to a month's cooking with no loss that anyone at the table will notice.

Fresh Thai herbs are sent from our Manchester store, packed carefully for delivery. Order early in the week for the widest choice — popular lines sell through fast.