Shop our Gourmet Condiments Range Online
A condiment shelf works when four jobs are covered: heat, sweetness, sharpness and something to put next to cheese. Ottolenghi's rose harissa and green harissa handle the heat, Mike's Hot Honey the sweetness, Belazu's preserved lemons and balsamic the sharpness, and The Regimental Condiment Company's chutneys and fruit jellies the cheese. Buy against those four jobs and almost nothing goes stale at the back of the cupboard.
The range below is grouped the way you actually cook. Spice pastes and marinades for a weeknight tray bake, relishes and mustards for a ploughman's lunch, rubs and sauces for the barbecue, marmalade and curd for breakfast. Most producers also make mini jars and boxed sets, so a condiment can be a gift rather than a restock.
What a good condiment shelf needs
Heat you can dial up or down
Start gentle with Mike's Hot Honey Original, which is chilli-infused honey that suits cheese, pizza and fried chicken equally. Ottolenghi's Rose, Pomegranate and Preserved Lemon Harissa is warm and fragrant rather than fierce, while the Green Harissa leans herbal. For genuine heat, Cape Herb and Spice's Chilli Addict sauces run from birds eye up through habanero to ghost, and Mike's Hot Honey Extra Hot exists for people who found the original polite.
Pastes and marinades that do the cooking
These are the jars that turn a tray of chicken thighs into dinner. Ottolenghi's Shawarma, Preserved Lemon, Smokey Honey and Black Garlic and Scotch Bonnet marinades are used straight from the jar. Belazu's Tagine Paste, Rose Harissa and Ve-du-ya vegan 'nduja do the same for slow-cooked dishes, and the Belazu pesto range runs well past basil into truffle and artichoke, wild mushroom and aubergine and parmesan.
The cheese board drawer
The Regimental Condiment Company builds this better than most: apple and port jelly, pear and muscat jelly, orange and thyme jelly, plus tomato relish and mango chutney in mini jars so a board can carry three or four without waste. Mrs Bridges' Chutney for Cheese and Ploughmans Chutney are the traditional English answer, and Cottage Delight's caramelised onion and real ale chutneys sit somewhere between. Pair them with artisan crackers and a bowl of Kangaroo Island olives.
Breakfast preserves
Marmalade divides people, so the range covers it properly. Mrs Bridges makes thick cut, fine cut, blood orange and pink grapefruit, along with lemon curd and a fig preserve. Cottage Delight adds orange and stem ginger, and rhubarb and stem ginger jam. Ottolenghi's apricot and passionfruit preserve is the one to buy for someone who says they do not like jam.
Barbecue rubs and sauces
Red Gum BBQ makes four rubs, one for each protein, and three sauces to match: Grandma Mildred's Gold, Granddaddy Heyward's Classic and Great Grandma Rosa's Red. Cape Herb and Spice covers the same ground with rub tins and refillable grinders. Both come in gift boxes, which is why they end up on the Father's Day gift shortlist most years.
Condiments as a gift
Single jars rarely feel like a present. Sets do. Belazu boxes its oil and vinegar, signature pestos and culinary spice pastes; The Regimental Condiment Company sells four-jar chutney, mustard and cheese board collections along with its ration packs; and the Ottolenghi range extends to Spoon and Pantry and Grater and Pantry gift sets that pair pantry jars with a tool worth keeping. Anything ordered as a gift can carry a free personalised gift card with your message on it.
If you would rather someone else did the assembling, the gourmet hampers arrive packed by hand in a premium box with a gold ribbon.
Condiment questions we get asked
Which condiments belong on a cheese board?
One sweet, one sharp, one savoury. A fruit jelly or fig-based paste for hard cheese, a chutney or relish for cheddar and pate, and something with acidity such as preserved lemons or tapenade to cut through the soft cheeses. Mini jars let you do all three without opening three full-sized jars.
What is the difference between rose harissa and green harissa?
Rose harissa is built on red chillies and rose, so it reads warm, sweet and floral and suits lamb, roast vegetables and yoghurt. Green harissa uses green chillies with fresh herbs, so it is brighter and sharper, and works better with fish, chicken and eggs. Most kitchens end up with both open.
Do you sell condiment gift sets rather than single jars?
Yes. Belazu, Red Gum BBQ, eat.art, Cottage Delight and The Regimental Condiment Company all produce boxed sets, and eat.art's tube giftsets cover salts, peppers, spice routes and curries for people who cook rather than collect.