Abbey Botanicals Herbs and Spices

Botanical name - Gelidiella racemosa

Country of Origin - Spain

Agar-agar is a natural gelling agent, of vegetable origin, made from seaweed. It is sold as a beige powder, and has no taste or smell. In powdered form Agar Agar is an excellent gelling agent and thickener in a variety of foods including jams, jellies, pudding, icings, soups and even ice-cream.

To activate agar-agar it should be heated to 95°C or 203°F. It starts it's action as a gelling agent when its temperature drops to about 30°C or 86°F.

Botanical name - Maranta arundinacea

Country of Origin - Brazil

Arrowroot is the answer if you wish to avoid cornflour or potato starch. It is really easy to use just dilute in a bit of  water whisking briskly, and then add to your recipe and cook as normal.

Great for sauces, custards, puddings etc. It will go with anything sweet or savoury, as it doesn't have a taste of it's own and gives a fabulous, smooth creamy texture to dishes.

Arrowroot is an excellent base for cream sauces, and clear glazes, and it doesn't lose its thickening ability in the presence of acid, like flour does. This quality makes it an excellent choice for thickening acidic fruits.

Botanical name - Beta vulgaris-rubra

Country of Origin - Germany

Beetroot powder is used as a natural red food colouring. It has a slightly sweet taste and is an ideal substitute for artificial red colour that can cause allergic reactions in some people. Use it in any dish that you want to add a bit of red to. Try it in tandoori or butter chicken dishes for extra red colour, or chinese sweet & sour and use to colour fresh home-made pasta.

The colour of Beetroot Powder ranges from pale red to almost purple depending on seasonal variations and growing conditions.

Botanical name - Vanilla Planifolia

Country of Origin - Papua New Guinea

These beans are drier than our usual beans and are perfect for making your own vanilla extract, grinding to make vanilla powder or making vanilla sugar. Each bean weighs approx 1g to 2g each and are of various lengths.

These Vanilla Pods will keep indefinitely if stored in an airtight container in a cool dark place but we suggest that you use these pods within 2 years of purchase. The pods should NOT be refrigerated. You may also choose to wrap these pods in cling film, foil or waxed paper before storing.

Using the Beans: Frequently I come across recipes that call for scraping the seeds from the vanilla bean and discarding the rest. What a waste! The entire bean is filled with flavour and, in fact, the pod has more flavour than the seeds. You can cut the bean and use a portion at a time or you can use the whole bean, depending on the depth of flavour you wish. To cut open a bean, lay it flat on a cutting surface. Holding one end of the bean to the surface, carefully slice the bean open lengthwise. When you separate the bean, thousands of tiny seeds are exposed. By cutting the bean open before placing it in a liquid, more of the surface of the bean is exposed, and the greater the flavouring properties. You can scrape the seeds from the pod before removing the bean if you choose.

To make your own Extract: If you want to make your own, you can make it using 70 cl bottle vodka(cheapest you can find) minimum 40% proof as anything under 40% cannot be called extract(trading standards), and 20 vanilla beans. Method: 1st Make yourself a vodka and coke or tonic(to make space in the bottle for the weight of the beans) then Slit open the beans,scrape the caviar into the bottle and put the bean in there too. Put the lid on,give it a good shake and put into a dark cupboard. Give it a shake whenever you feel like it. Once the aroma of alcohol has gone(can take approx 8 weeks) it is good to use. We generally wait a minimum of 3 months before using it.

A natural preservative and flavouring, citric acid is used in cooking and for making natural cleansers.

Latin name - Cyamopsis tetragonolobus

Country of Origin - India

Guar gum is the ground endosperm of the guar bean, an annual legume native to India and Pakistan. It's primary use is as an emulsifier and thickening agent; it has 8 times the thickening power of cornstarch.

Botanical name - Humulus lupulus L

Country of Origin - United Kingdom/Germany

Hops are used extensively in brewing today for their many purported benefits, including balancing the sweetness of the malt with bitterness, contributing a variety of desirable flavours and aromas, and having an antibiotic effect that favours the activity of brewer's yeast over less desirable microorganisms.

hops are also an ingredient in Julmust, a carbonated beverage similar to soda that is popular in Sweden during December.

Hops, when used in conjunction with Lavender Flowers are popular, as a stuffing when making pillows to help when having difficulty in sleeping.

Botanical name - Armoracia rusticana

Country of Origin - China

Horseradish Powder is very pungent with a sharp, biting flavour that tends to fade with age or when cooked or added to hot dishes. Horseradish is a thick, brown root that is grated and used fresh or prepared. Horseradish powder is a versatile seasoning that can be used in a variety of ways. Horseradish Powder is especially good sprinkled on beef and steak, added to mayonnaise or mustard, or to flavour ham and sausage dishes. Since it is in a powder form, creating different kinds of sauce mixture is indeed easy and convenient.

Botanical name - Chondrus crispus

Country of Origin - Ireland

Latin name - Mangifera indica

Country of Origin - India

Common names: Aam-papar, Aamchoor, Aamchur, Amchoor, Amchoor, Amchur, Mangue, Manguey

Mango powder is made from dried, ground unripe mangoes. The addition of Mango powder when cooking brings a sour and pungent aroma to the cuisine. It is often used in Indian and Asian dishes including fish, meats, vegetables, soups, curries and others.

It is often used as a souring agent akin to tamarind. It is particularly useful as an ingredient in marinades, having the same tenderising qualities as lemon or lime juice. However, where, for instance, three tablespoons of lemon or lime juice are required, one teaspoon of mango powder will suffice.

Chicken and fish are enhanced by Mango Powder and grilled fish on skewers, machli kabab, is well worth trying.

Botanical name - Pterocarpus santalinus

Country of Origin - Gabon

Red sandalwood (Raktha Chandan) is a variety of sandalwood that differs in the most basic way. Its red and it does not have fragrance. There are many benefits of using red sandalwood powder for the skin. Include it in to your skin care regimen to get glowing and even skin tone naturally. It is very beneficial in the treatment of various skin related problems like acne, skin rashes, sunburn, blemishes, premature aging etc. Given below are some tips on how to use red sandalwood powder for skin.

If you want to achieve glowing skin with even skin tone then mix five teaspoons of red sandalwood powder with three teaspoons of almond oil and five tablespoons of coconut milk. Apply it over your skin and leave on for about 20 minutes. Rinse off with cold water.

Red sandalwood powder is also loaded with anti aging, detoxifying and wrinkle reducing properties. To use all these properties, just mix four teaspoons of red sandalwood powder with two teaspoons of strong chamomile tea (steeped and cooled). Apply it over your skin. This mask is also good for sun damaged skin.

Make your skin clean, nourished and glowing with a mixture of half teaspoon of red sandalwood powder, two teaspoons of green gram flour, half teaspoon of neem (Azadirachta indica) powder and half teaspoon of honey. Apply the resultant mixture over your skin. Leave it on for about half an hour and then rinse off with cool water.

Use a combination of red sandalwood powder, rose water and glycerin to get rid of wrinkles naturally.

Use skin friendly properties of red sandalwood powder to get rid of acne. Make a mixture by combining two teaspoons each of red sandalwood powder and honey with one teaspoon of water. Apply this paste on the affected area.

Red sandalwood powder is also loaded with natural skin soothing properties. Add one teaspoon of red sandalwood powder to your favorite massage oil. Use it and feel the difference!

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which means that it prevents vegetables and fruits from browning, like a peeled pear for example.

Vitamin C is ideal for keeping the attractive appearance of fruits and vegetables which need to be peeled, cut and/or blended. You need only use a pinch each time.

Vitamin C powder (or ascorbic acid powder) can be used for bread making. It is suitable for hand kneading and for use in bread machines. It is simple to mix into the dry bread mixture before liquid is added. It increases lift and volume to a loaf and is suitable for all forms of bread-making, including vegan and gluten-free. Vitamin C is used to boost the action of yeast in bread-making, by providing a slightly acidic environment in which yeast thrive. It also acts as a preservative. Mix a level teaspoonful of vitamin C to the flour mix, together with the yeast and other ingredients. Knead well as required, and bake.