Okra

Okra

Okra Pronounce it: oh-kra Originally from Africa, okra is now widely used in cuisines such as Caribbean, Creole, Cajun and Indian. It’s also known as bhindi or lady’s fingers, in reference to the long, elegantly…


Bicarbonate of soda

Bicarbonate of soda Bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda, is an alkali which is used to raise soda breads and full-flavoured cakes such as gingerbread, fruit cake, chocolate cake and carrot cake. It needs an…


Cherry

Cherry

Cherry Pronounce it: che-ree One of the delights of the summer, cherries are much loved for their succulent texture, flavour and gorgeous good looks. The juicy flesh can be sweet or sour, depending on which…


New potatoes

New potatoes

New potatoes Pronounce it: n-ew po-tate-oes New potatoes have thin, wispy skins and a crisp, waxy texture. They are young potatoes and unlike their fully grown counterparts, they keep their shape once cooked and cut….


Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn Pronounce it: sw-eet corn Also known as corn on the cob, sweetcorn is composed of rows of tightly packed golden yellow kernels, growing along a tough central core. When ripe, the kernels are sweet…


Teff

Teff

Teff This tiny grass seed is a staple food in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The seeds produce a harvest proportionally hundreds of times greater than wheat or other staple grains. This, combined with its ability to…


Pumpkin

Pumpkin

Pumpkin Pronounce it: pump-kin Pumpkins are the most famous of all the winter squashes, and are most associated with Halloween lanterns. Inside the hard orange or yellow skin, the bright orange flesh is sweet and…


Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate Pronounce it: dahk chok-o-let Dark chocolate means the shiny, dark-reddish brown treat produced from the cacao bean, theobroma cacao, widely sold as pressed blocks, bars or as a coating for sweet fillings. Before…


Rice

Rice

Rice Pronounce it: r-eye-s Rice is a grain, the seed of a type of grass, which is the most widely grown and the most important source of dietary carbohydrate on Earth. Generally grown in flooded…


Decant

Decant Pronounce it: dee-cant Decanting is the act of slowly pouring liquid from its original container into a different one. It’s a term that’s often associated with wine, where the wine is poured from its…