Lemongrass – A tropical grass resembling a spring onion with a gentle citrus flavour and a hint of ginger. It has a natural affinity with coconut and goes particularly well with fish and chicken. It is widely used in all south-east Asian cuisines.

Chillies – Many chilli varieties are found in Thai cooking, with the smallest and most memorable the Birds Eye Chilli. Mainly green, they are very hot and form the basis of green curries and Thai dipping sauces.

Coconut – Whilst the coconut palm is found mainly in coastal regions the myriad of products made from it are essential to Thai life and the coconut is used in cooking at all stages  of  its  development.  The

most common forms are as coconut cream and milk where it is combined with curry pastes to make sauces.

Coriander – Coriander plants arrived with Arab and Indian traders in the south of Thailand over a thousand years ago. The Thai use all of the plant with the root being used in curry pastes, the leaves are used as a garnish or in salads and the seeds are used as a spice.

Galangal – A rhizome used extensively in Thai cuisine, which comes from the ginger family. The flavour is pungent and peppery and is used for curry pastes where it adds a peppery sharpness.

Kaffir Lime– Kaffir limes are wild limes with a knobbly appearance which have a more intense flavour than standard limes. The leaves are used extensively throughout Thai cuisine and add a pungent lemony aroma.

Basil – Three types of Basil are commonly used; Holy basil is sharp and hot and is used in stir-fries, Lemon basil is used mainly in curries and has a lemon fragrance whilst Thai basil sweetens and perfumes any dish and is found across many Thai dishes.

Jasmine Rice – Otherwise known as Thai fragrant rice, it is a high quality long grain rice which is mainly served boiled or steamed and has a nutty, aromatic flavour. Sticky rice, which is short grain and glutinous is the staple of north Thailand where it is rolled into a ball and used to scoop up food.