Shoots & Leaves

Bamboo shoots are the quiet essential of Southeast Asian cooking — crisp, mild and ready to absorb whatever curry or stir-fry they meet — and this collection stocks them in every useful form, alongside the harder-to-find leaves of Thai and Lao kitchens.

The shoots come three ways. Young tips in water are the sweetest and most tender, ready sliced into curries and stir-fries. Sour bamboo shoots, fermented to a gentle tang, are the backbone of certain Thai and Lao dishes and a revelation in soups. Sliced sour shoots do the same job with the prep done. Whichever you choose, rinse them well and they are ready to cook.

The leaves are where this collection gets special. Yanang leaf extract is the base of Lao stews, almost impossible to find fresh this far from Southeast Asia. Young tamarind leaves in brine bring their sour brightness to curries and soups, cassia leaves do similar work in Thai cooking, and tinned beansprouts and lemongrass cover the backup shelf for days when the fresh delivery has sold through.

Bamboo shoots and leaves keep for months tinned or bottled, which makes them ideal cupboard stock. Everything is delivered UK-wide from our Manchester store, with free delivery on orders over £75.