Spices in the UK?

Just curious where the best place to buys spices in London is? I have read that the Borough Market will have some good mexican type spices and such... Over here I tend to buy my spices online (Penzey's, Beanilla...) because the grocery store spices can be older, have lost some of their punch and may not have been the best quality to start with. So - what is common over there? Online, specialty shops, markets or just the grocery store?

Also, is the chili powder similar to that we get in Texas? How about cumin and coriander (ground, not fresh)? Is there anything that I might want to stock up on before we head over? Thanks!!

Probably ethnic shops, there'll be plenty of Indian markets which will have cumin and coriander etc.

Yep, i buy all my spices in the Asian and Chinese supermarkets. Great variety/selection, and super cheap too.  Could hardly believe my eyes when i saw, at the Asian shop, a 10-kilo bag of onions for £1.50!!

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Cumin and coriander are fairly easy to find at any grocery store or ethnic shop but if there are any more exotic spices or cooking ingredients you use regularly you might want to bring some with you.  I always bring things like dried mexican peppers, chipotle seasoning, canned green chilies, lawrey's seasoned salt, etc when I visit home.  These can be bought online (or if you're lucky enough to live near certain grocers) but at a premium!

Thanks for the responses! I will prob stock up on chili powders and chipotles. I imagine I will find some new stuff to experiment with there too!

Thanks for the responses! I will prob stock up on chili powders and chipotles. I imagine I will find some new stuff to experiment with there too!

Definitely stock up on chipotles and any similar spices/chilies - we searched high and low for chipotle chili powder and eventually had to buy some from the US and bring it back after a trip home. I could not find it here anywhere in powdered form (or chipotles en adobo, for that matter) - I'm sure they exist somewhere, but we've yet to find them! Regular chili powder should be available in your local supermarket, or an ethnic grocer like others have said

Hm. What's the difference in chipotle chili powder and regular? Would that be a good substitute for adobo chilis in chili?

Hm. What's the difference in chipotle chili powder and regular? Would that be a good substitute for adobo chilis in chili?

I actually have no idea what variety of chiles they use in Mexican chili powder, but chipotles are smoked jalapeno peppers so they have a different flavour. Chipotles are the only chile I saw that come "en adobo" at home in the US, although there have to be others. Chipotle powder can be a good substitute for chipotles en adobo, depending on the recipe.

I actually have no idea what variety of chiles they use in Mexican chili powder, but chipotles are smoked jalapeno peppers so they have a different flavour. Chipotles are the only chile I saw that come "en adobo" at home in the US, although there have to be others. Chipotle powder can be a good substitute for chipotles en adobo, depending on the recipe.

Thanks! I just recently discovered the yumminess of chipotles in adobo, but I don't really want to bring over cans of them! At least not at this time. But, I like to use them (well, one or two!) in my homemade chili.

You can buy chipotle chilli powder etc in the UK and dried Chipotles. Whole Foods stocks the whole range, Tescos stocks dried chipotles and dried ancho (which is a dried pablano)

Chipotle is a smoked Jalapeno
Adobo is a marinade.

You often get Chipotles in Adobo. (Adobo in this context is normally spices, including capiscum/chum and tomatoes) You can buy chipotles in Adobo from Cool Chile company at borough or from WFs, or online.

Stuff you can buy -
http://www.coolchile.co.uk/categories/view/chillies

You can buy chipotle chilli powder etc in the UK and dried Chipotles. Whole Foods stocks the whole range, Tescos stocks dried chipotles and dried ancho (which is a dried pablano)

Chipotle is a smoked Jalapeno
Adobo is a marinade.

You often get Chipotles in Adobo. (Adobo in this context is normally spices, including capiscum/chum and tomatoes) You can buy chipotles in Adobo from Cool Chile company at borough or from WFs, or online.

Stuff you can buy -
http://www.coolchile.co.uk/categories/view/chillies

Yippee! Fantastic!

You can buy chipotle chilli powder etc in the UK and dried Chipotles. Whole Foods stocks the whole range, Tescos stocks dried chipotles and dried ancho (which is a dried pablano)

Chipotle is a smoked Jalapeno
Adobo is a marinade.

You often get Chipotles in Adobo. (Adobo in this context is normally spices, including capiscum/chum and tomatoes) You can buy chipotles in Adobo from Cool Chile company at borough or from WFs, or online.

Stuff you can buy -
http://www.coolchile.co.uk/categories/view/chillies

Gah! I'll have to try Tesco again, then! Haven't been in AGES. Thanks for the tip!

I just stocked up on a bunch of Indian spices from one of the grocers near Aldgate East.  Highly recommended.    They were inexpensive and a huge variety!

Guess I'll have to check out Tesco again then but the one I went to today is pretty small and stock quite limited.  I've yet to make it to whole foods... wish we had one in Kent! 

There's a London-based company called Spice Mountain that sells all kinds of spices and herbs, including chilis. They have a stall at Borough Market, or you can order online:

http://www.spicemountain.co.uk/i