Esther Clark - The Modern Spice Rack: Recipes and Stories to Make the Most of Your Spices

Esther Clark

Esther Clark is an established and experienced recipe writer, food stylist and editor, based in London. She trained as a chef in her early twenties at Leiths School of Food and Wine before working as a chef on a farm in rural Tuscany and catering at weddings in northern India.

Esther works as a freelancer; previously, she was Deputy Food Editor at one of the UKs leading food brands, BBC Good Food. In 2020, she won the PPA 30 Under 30 recipe-writing award. Her recipes celebrate seasonal eating, comfort, big flavours and easy home-cooking methods.

Her regular clients include Guardian Feast, OCADO, Sainsburys Magazine, Delicious magazine, Co-ops Food magazine, BBC Good Food, Waitrose Food magazine, Marks & Spencers, and many more.

Rachel Walker

Rachel Walker was working on the food desk at the Sunday Times when she founded Rooted Spices in 2018. Shed been watching the pace of change in the coffee and chocolate industries, and figured it was time that spices caught up. She began sourcing ethically produced and single-origin spices, growing an award-winning and market-disrupting business. Before founding Rooted Spices, Rachel spent a decade working as a food writer and editor, working across national publications, as well as travelling much of the spice route. She lives in East London with her husband Tom, children Florence and Angus, and Tonka the dog, and continues to research, write and track down the best-tasting, most directly sourced spices she can. rootedspices.com

Esther Clark

Thank you to Hardie Grant for believing in all things spice, and to lovely Eve and Kajal, two people with whom I had always wanted to work, and who showed so much enthusiasm for this idea from the get-go. Special thanks to our editor, Chelsea, ever patient and kind. Youve been wonderful to work with.

Thank you, Rachel, for running such an inspiring spice company and bringing Rooted Spices into my spice rack your boundless knowledge never ceases to amaze me. Youre a writer who exudes more enthusiasm for spice than anyone Ive ever known, and it comes through in your fantastic words.

To my friends Rosie Reynolds (aka my mentor extraordinaire), Katie Marshall and Troy Willis, for constant support and inspiration youre the best.

To Karo, not just a top-notch housemate, but also a fantastic friend. Thanks for always being so unbelievably supportive and so passionate about my work, and for hours of tasting my food. Your advice and recipe critiques have been beyond helpful.

A cookbook isnt made without a team of hard workers thank you Clare, Troy, El, Caitlin and Anna for all your expertise on giving these recipes second, third and fourth tests! From re-baking pound cakes to tasting wedges of sticky toffee pudding in scorching summer temperatures. Ive appreciated your insights on this time and time again. Thanks to Caitlin and Clare again for all your hard graft on the shoots, and to lovely Jodie too.

The wonderfully striking design of this book was created by the fantastically talented Stuart Hardie. Its fab, Stuart thank you for all your hours of hard work.

Matt Russell, Rachel Vere and Matt Hague you guys are the dream shoot team, and Im a lucky gal to have had you involved (like, big time) and I couldnt be happier or more grateful to you all for working on it. Also, you all make me laugh a lot.

Arthur, cheers for eating all my food. Even though its probably all got too much flavour. Im only sorry there arent any pea recipesnext time, I promise.

Thanks Ruth and Lizzie; life is tough at times, but its easier when you have the loveliest sisters.

My mum and dad, I couldnt name more supportive and genuinely kind people. Thank you, Mum, for always helping me, from washing up during hours of testing to being the biggest creative inspiration of my life. Thank you, Dad, for always listening and advising me so articulately. Im looking forward to cooking more recipes together and eating them around our little kitchen table its really my happiest place to be.

Rachel Walker

Thanks to the team at Hardie Grant to Eve Marleau and Kajal Mistry for commissioning this book, and particularly to Chelsea Edwards for helping bring it to life. Thank you to the wider team: Matt Russell, Matthew Hague, Rachel Vere and everybody present on the shoot days not only for bringing your individual expertise, but also for helping jiggle a baby while doing so. Thank you to Stuart Hardie for the beautiful design, and to Esther for championing Rooted Spices and lending such talent and creativity to this celebration of spices.

A personal thanks goes to the mother-daughter team Carol and Steph, who run Rooted Spices warehouse in Durham, for being an ever-steadying presence and bringing daily joy to my working life. Thank you also to Hugh for being such a good friend, and always giving such incredibly valued and honest advice.

I am indebted to Ben Hitchcock for generously sharing his encyclopaedic knowledge of spices, and to Christian Smith for his ongoing guidance, enormous kindness and passion for good words. Thank you to my book club for being such a singularly positive force and the best cheerleaders anyone could ask for. Also, to Anna, Antonia, Elly, Katie, Rose and Steph for your wisdom and wit, and being such willing and entertaining sounding-boards.

Thank you to my mother and mother-in-law respectively, for showing relentless enthusiasm towards my early kitchen endeavours, and enduring positivity towards all culinary and entrepreneurial enterprises that have followed. Thank you also to my father and father-in-law, for both reinforcing the importance of looking things up or asking someone if you dont know the answer, and employing logic to piece together the facts.

My final thanks goes to Tom, the best person I know: unwavering in support, large of heart, loud of laugh and gleefully gluttonous cooking together and eating together is one of lifes purest pleasures. Also a tentative thanks to Florence and Angus, who contributed very little to the writing of this book, but who make life richer and more delicious than I ever could have imagined.

For all things spicy

Rooted Spices, UK

(rootedspices.com)

Burlap & Barrel, America

(burlapandbarrel.com)

La Bote, America

(laboiteny.com)

Gewrzhaus, Australia

(gewurzhaus.com.au)

Diaspora Co, America

(diasporaco.com)

pices de cru, Canada

(epicesdecru.com)

Mill & Mortar, Denmark

(millmortar.com)

pices Roellinger, France

(epices-roellinger.com)

For delicious ingredients

Belazu Incredible for extra virgin olive oil, preserved lemons, rose harissa, etc.

www.belazu.com

Odysea Greek online shop for high-quality Greek yoghurt, feta, halloumi, olives, honey, molasses, etc.

www.odysea.com

Bold Bean Co For fantastic jars of giant beans, such as butter (lima) beans and chickpeas.

boldbeanco.com

Brindisa A Spanish online shop great for rice, pulses, flours, pasta, tinned anchovies.

brindisa.com

Vinegar Shed For delicious handmade vinegars, oils, salts and tinned fish.

www.vinegarshed.com

Panzers A North London Deli with an online shop. Good for anything from smoked salmon and bagels to high-quality pasta and chocolate.