BAY LEAF

The volatile oils that carry aroma start escaping the moment a spice is broken. Whole spice keeps for a year or more; ground spice is noticeably flatter within weeks. Grind what you need, when you need it.

Yes. We will mill it while you wait. Most customers buy whole and grind small quantities at home, but we are happy to do it either way.

In an airtight jar, cool, dark and away from steam. A jar kept on the shelf above the hob ages far faster than one in a cupboard.

Crush a little between your fingers and smell it. Fresh spice releases aroma immediately and strongly. If you have to work at it to smell anything, it is old.

No. It is cleaned and sorted, and nothing else - no oil polish to make it shine, no colour and no bulking material.

Roughly four times as long. Whole spice holds its aroma for a year or more because the oils stay sealed inside; once ground, the same spice is noticeably flatter within a few weeks.

Toasting deepens the flavour and is worth doing just before you grind. It does shorten the life of the spice though, so toast only what you are about to use rather than a whole batch.

We buy whole and sell whole, cleaned and sorted, with nothing added - no oil polish to make it glossy, no colour, no bulking material. And we will grind it for you at the counter, so the spice stays whole until the moment you actually need it ground.