Stevia
Stevia Stevia is a South American wilderness herb with leaves that contain an ingredient of exceptional sweetness. Weight for weight, the sweetening compound in stevia is about 150 times sweeter than sugar but it has…
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Soy sauce
Soy sauce Pronounce it: soy sor-s An Asian condiment and ingredient that comes in a variety of of varieties ranging from light to dark, and thick to light. It is made from soya beans and…
Sourdough
Sourdough Pronounce it: sow–er-doh Sourdough is a method of leavening bread, based on uncooked bread dough (known as ‘mother dough’ or ‘sourdough starter’) that has soured and been populated by natural air-borne yeasts. It’s likely to…
Sage
Sage Pronounce it: sa-age Popular in both Italian and British cookery, sage has long, grey-green leaves with a slightly furry surface. Its aroma is pungent and it has a strong, slightly minty, musky taste. Traditionally,…
Star anise
Star anise Pronounce it: star an-eese Star anise is one of the central spices in Chinese cooking. It has a strong anise flavour, with a liquorice-like aroma. The dominant flavour in Chinese five-spice powder, star…
Swiss chard
Swiss chard Pronounce it: swiss shard Also known as plain chard, Swiss chard has large, fleshy, tender, deep green leaves and thick, crisp stalks. Although they’re unrelated, chard is similar to spinach, but with a stronger, more…
Strawberry
Strawberry Pronounce it: straw-bare-ee Once available in Britain for just a brief period during the summer, strawberries are now a year-round fruit, thanks to imports from warmer climates. However, the varieties grown for export tend…
Sugar
Sugar Pronounce it: shuh-ga Honey and syrups made from concentrated fruit juice were the earliest known sweeteners. Today, refined sugar is the most popular type of sweetener and it is made from sugar cane or…
Samphire
Samphire Pronounce it: sam-fire Though there are two types of samphire – marsh and rock – only marsh samphire is widely available. Marsh samphire has vibrant green stalks, similar to baby asparagus, with a distinctively…
Sweat
Sweat Pronounce it: sw-ett To cook food, generally vegetables, over a low heat, using a small amount of fat (vegan butter is often used, or a half-half mix of vegan butter and olive oil). This…