My LEAST favourite spice is the Clove. MAN those things kill me.
Christmas has me on high alert - but I can never truly relax.
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Love cloves in bread pudding!
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Depends on what with. I probably use more Cumin, Ginger Cardamom and Black Pepper in cooking than any other spices, but other favourites include Nutmeg. I also use Cinnamon, Cloves, Star Anise, Mace, Szechuan Pepper.and Coriander (though I use Coriander leaf far more, but thatâs not a spice.
Chilli I have to use very carefully as sometimes I find it very unpleasant, leaving me with no sense of taste just severe burning, ruining a meal. Cayenne pepper is better, more controllable.
Most are really only at their best freshly ground, though I use Cinnamon both as sticks and ready ground. Ginger fresh root not dried & ground.
I really enjoy the fragrances when grinding fresh spices, setting an appetising expectation for the food to follow!
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Donât forget Cornish Saffron buns
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âMmmmm⌠Yes please. I love a dessert that reminds me of the last time I had a Root Canalâ
âŚaway with yer! 
Curry leaf.
One that cannot be substituted, as it has its own uniqueness.
This, fenugreek and chilli is all you ever need as a desert island spice.
You can put this with anything.
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The seeds sprout well in the U.K. - if the hens donât get them first.
I get withdrawal symptoms if I donât get a good spice dose at least 3 times a week.
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For me it has to be a dal (I try to reserve meat for the weekend); I vary the spice mix, but fresh ginger and turmeric are favourites along with cumin and coriander. Of course pepper is in there, along with a chilli or two.
I have a handful of garam masala recipes; some with cinnamon others with cloves or mace. Sometimes I make a paste or I might dry fry the spices. Iâm always learning about various blends.
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Thatâs a herb, not spice!
Oops.
But the OP might be âappy with âerbsâŚ
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Fww. I thought you were going to have my guts for gartersâŚ
Effective Iâm sure, but not sure Iâd want to handle themâŚ
It is an interesting thought about what really differentiates a herb to a spice.
What are we to make of fresh green pepper corns ?
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Seeds and roots are spices, leaves are âerbs.
One herb I love above all others is Basil. We keep basil plants in the kitchen, to grab fresh leaves for things like bruschetta (at least weekly in summer/autumn when we have a glut of fresh tommytoes), or pizza, etc. And dried basil, which tastes completely different, for pasta dishes from lasagne to bolognese.
Fresh coriander os a delight in many dishes: today in a vegetable soup (made with home-made chicken stock, loads of carrots, leeks and celery, ginger root, and freshly made pasta (like linguine, but made just with flour and water, no egg).
I also often use Oregano, Thyme, Marjoram, and Sage, usually dried, and fresh Parsley (why do I feel a Simon and Garfunkel song coming along?!)
But I donât like the taste and smell of curry leaf, reminding me too much of the awfully insipid âcurryâ my mum sometimes made, complete with typically incompetently cooked British style rice!
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Fresh oregano if you can find it is the bomb.
The better varieties are almost as hot as the chillies you should put with them.
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