I think I’ve already mentioned that we cook. Well, this is a very small corner of the spice cupboard, featuring two kinds of cardamom, cinnamon and coriander. Behind that is paprika, smoked and plain, raw sesame seeds, ground cinnamon, mustard seeds, asafoetida and what seems to be fenugreek (I don’t want to go downstairs again and check). You can also see food colouring on the right and several citrus oils up top.
The spice section is about a quarter of the food cupboard (and considering that another quarter is cat food, this should give you an idea). It’s a shelf about a foot deep and four feet across, and it’s a bt of a jumble, as you can see.
The jars are also important – an assortment of ball jars collected in thrift shops and junk sales over the years. They go well with the collection of pestles and mortars on top of the food cupboard. We like spices. We like having jars of whole spices and strange ingredients just waiting to be turned into amazing things. I feel rich when I have spices to wallow in, like a mediaeval lady.