Abbey Botanicals Herbs and Spices

Botanical name - Ocimum basilicum

Country of Origin - Egypt

The flavours of basil are truly magnificent; it entails a strong anise-like zest with a sweet scent perfect for creating sumptuous dishes. Basil's pervading, clove-like aroma makes it such an ideal complement to tomatoes that it is often referred to as 'the tomato herb'.

Basil also complements other vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini, squash and spinach. When added within the last half an hour of cooking, basil enhances the flavour of vegetable and legume (split peas, lentil) soups. Most salads, especially those with tomato, benefit greatly from the addition of basil.

Botanical name - Ocimum basilicum

Country of Origin - Egypt

Basil is a popular Herb used on many Italian, French and European dishes. For your convenience, Basil Ground is now available to help you cut cooking time in half. Expect this dried and grounded Basil leaves to be filled with wonderful flavours and incomparable aroma.

Basil goes well with poultry when used in stuffing, is included in soups and stews and added to sauces and gravies. Basil is used in pâtés and terrines, where its volatile notes will help counteract the richness of liver and game.

Botanical name - Umbellularia californica

Country of Origin - Turkey

Common names: Apollo’s Bay Leaf, Bay, Bay Laurel, Grecian Laurel, Indian Bay, Laurel, Nobel Laurel, Poet’s Laurel, Roman Laurel, Royal Laurel, Sweet Bay, Sweet Laurel, Wreath Laurel, feuille de laurier, laurier franc, Lorbeerblatt, foglia di alloro, lauro, hoja de laurel, dhafni

Bay leaves are widely used throughout the world. It may be best known in bouquets garnis or used similarly in soups, sauces, stews, daubes and courts-bouillon’s, an appropriate seasoning for fish, meat and poultry. Bay leaf is often included as a pickling spice.

Botanical name - Umbellularia californica

Country of Origin - Turkey

Common names: Apollo’s Bay Leaf, Bay, Bay Laurel, Grecian Laurel, Indian Bay, Laurel, Nobel Laurel, Poet’s Laurel, Roman Laurel, Royal Laurel, Sweet Bay, Sweet Laurel, Wreath Laurel, feuille de laurier, laurier franc, Lorbeerblatt, foglia di alloro, lauro, hoja de laurel, dhafni

Bay leaves are widely used throughout the world. It may be best known in bouquets garnis or used similarly in soups, sauces, stews, daubes and courts-bouillon’s, an appropriate seasoning for fish, meat and poultry. Bay leaf is often included as a pickling spice.

Botanical name - Myrica cerifera

Country of Origin - USA

Common names: Candleberry, Wax Berry, Wax Myrtle.

Bayberry bark has traditionally been used to tan leather and produces a yellow dye for wool.

Botanical name - Arctostaphylos uva ursi

Country of Origin - Spain

Common names: Arberry, Bear's Grape, Crowberry, Foxberry, Hog Cranberry, Kinnikinnick, Mealberry, Mountain Box, Mountain Cranberry, Mountain Tobacco, Sandberry, Upland Cranberry, Uva-ursi.

Native Americans use bearberry leaves with tobacco and other herbs in religious ceremonies; both as a smudge (type of incense) or smoked in a sacred pipe, it carries the smoker's prayers to the Great Spirit. When mixed with tobacco or other herbs, it is referred to as kinnikinnick, from an Algonquian (probably Delaware) word for "mixture".

Bearberry leaves are utilised as a natural dye ranging from beige to greencolours see below:

• Camel-beige color with no mordant.
• Green with an alum and iron mordant.
• Copperas; blue-green with blue vitriol.

See our page on Natural Dyes for more herbs that can be used for dyeing naturally. 

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 - Capsicum frutescens

Country of Origin - Zimbabwe

Common Names: Cayenne, African Pepper, Bird Pepper, Red Pepper, Chilli Pepper, Capsicum.

Birdseye (Bird's Eye) Chillies are fiery hot and add considerable zest to dishes. Traditionally they are pan fired in oil at the start of cooking to add flavour, aroma and heat. They are essential for curries, spice mixes, chilli sauces and oils. Birdseye chillies can be used as a replacement for fresh chillies; they are best used sparingly and handled with care.

Botanical name - Nigella sativa

Country of Origin - Pakistan

Common names: Black Seed, Roman Coriander, Black Caraway, Habaa Sawdaa, Black Onion Seed, Kalonji, Daneh, Corek Otu, Cheveux de Vénus, Schwarzkümmel.

Black Cumin seed can be used whole as a spice in the preparation of curries, pastries and cheese. It is often used as a substitute for pepper. In India it one of the spices in ‘panch phoran’, a popular spice combination.

Black cumin seed is used to prepare a tea by boiling a tablespoon-full in water for over ten minutes.

Whole seeds are used for garnishing breads, nans and salads, and can also be eaten whole by chewing the seeds (although a little bitter and spicy).

Botanical name - Brassica nigra

Country of Origin - India

Common names: Rai, Lal sarsu

As you’d expect this tiny sprout is hot. Use the black type as it’s easier to grow. Too hot for mass consumption, better for spicing up other meals, ready in 6 days.

Black Mustard Seeds are normally sauteed in hot oil, and impart a delicious mild nutty flavour to most Indian vegetable dishes. Black Mustard Seeds are the most pungent of all mustard seeds. Their hot, spicy flavour enhances meats, fish, fowl, sauces and salad dressings.

Whole mustard seed is often used in pickling or in boiling vegetables such as cabbage or sauerkraut.

Botanical name - Piper nigra

Country of Origin - India

Common names: Maricha, Gulmirch

Black Pepper Coarse Ground falls between crushed and ground meaning they are still smooth in consistency but with a bit of texture. Produced in the Spice capital of the world India, expect high quality Spice at a fraction of its cost.

You can use Black Pepper Coarse Ground if you want to feel the peppery taste of Black Pepper but don’t want it too blatant. Depending on your cooking needs and wants, Black Pepper Coarse Ground can be your alternative to crushed and ground pepper.

Botanical name - Piper nigra

Country of Origin - India

Common names: Maricha, Gulmirch

Black Pepper Cracked is used to give meals a unique consistency and brave texture. You can use it to make barbecue meals more zesty and appetizing or you utilize it to improve the texture of your charcoal grill dishes. You can also use Black Pepper Cracked to make soups and stews more interesting.

Those vegetable salads including potato, Brussels sprouts, bamboo shoots and ice-berg lettuce will taste absolutely delicious with the help of Black Pepper Cracked.

With Black Pepper Cracked, you can feel the rich flavours of pepper in its natural form! Buy Black Pepper Cracked now and make delicious tangy meals in an instant.

Botanical name - Piper nigra

Country of Origin - India

Common names: Maricha, Gulmirch

For many food enthusiasts, Black Pepper Ground is the most convenient type of Black Pepper as it entails a very smooth texture which doesn’t hamper the natural taste of the food.

The steam sterilised version of Black Pepper Ground is highly recommended for cooking as it has zero bacteria content plus naturally preserved flavours. Produced in the Spice capital of the world India, rest assured to have high quality Spice at a fraction of its cost.

You can use Black Pepper Ground on all types of soups and stews to make them smoother in texture but rich in flavour. You can also use them to season vegetable salads and dressings giving each one a quick lift of flavour and aroma. Due to its smooth consistency, Black Pepper Ground can also be used on breads and pastries.

If you want your meals to be smooth but indeed palatable, use Black Pepper Ground!

Botanical name - Rubus fruticosus

Country of Origin - Poland

Blackberry leaves are high in tannins and Vit.C and makes a delicious and refreshing tea either on it's own or as a mixer with other other herbs and a little honey or fruit to add flavour and sweeten.

To make Blackberry Leaf tea pour the boiling water over the leaves and allow to infuse for 3-5 minutes.

Botanical name - Ribes nigrum

Country of Origin - Poland

Blackcurrant leave are high in tannins and often drank as a refreshing tea, as a replacement for regular tea, as they contain no caffiene.

Botanical name -Iris versicolor

Country of Origin - Italy

Common names: Flag-lily, Fleur-de-lis, Flower-de-luce, Iris, Liver Lily, Wild Iris, Poison Flag, Flag Lily, Snake Lily, Dragon Flower, Dagger Flower, Water Flag.

Botanical name - Malva Sylvestris

Country of Origin - Poland

Use Blue Mallow Flowers to add sweet aroma into your home, to accentuate empty vases or boxes and to make your room vibrant with its stunning colour. These fragrant flowers will really make your house feel like a home with this one of a kind potpourri.

Botanical name - Borago officinalis

Country of Origin - Poland

Borage is a fantastic, versatile herb that deserves to be used more in the kitchen. The leaves can be used in stocks, soups and stews and used in place of spinach. You could try making borage ravioli or borage curry, or a borage and ricotta pizza.

Borage leaves can be brewed to make a tea which has a truly refreshing taste with a hint of cucumber. Later the brewed leaves can be added to your ice cube tray with a little water and frozen into ice cubes to add to your summer drinks, traditionally used this way with Pimms.

To make Borage tea pour the boiling water over the leaves and allow to infuse for 3-4 minutes. Taste first before considering adding sweetening.

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.

Botanical name - Arctium lappa

Country of Origin - China

The Burdock Root is also known as gobo, the Japanese word for the edible burdock, as well as butterbur and beggar's bottom.

The root in it's natural state is similar in size, shape and preparation methods to a carrot and can be used for soups, stews, braised as a vegetable side dish, or stir-fried with other vegetables and grains. It is also ground into bits to be added to foods or to be brewed into tea beverages.

To make burdock root teaAdd 1 tsp. of dried powdered burdock root to 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer 20 minutes. Strain out the remaining burdock root with a tea strainer before drinking the tea.

Burdock root is utilised as an ingredient in many beverages including root beer (Dandelion and Burdock).