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Vanilla. This one is for sweet dishes only, but makes a massive difference. Despite high price, it's very economical: buy a few (2-4) vanilla pods and keep them in a jar of caster sugar for baking and sprinkling. They can be used to flavour custard and sweet sauces, and then washed, dried and returned to the sugar jar. Much better than synthetic flavouring, luxurious and lovely.

6) Cinnamon. Great for sweet dishes, from fruit cake to apple pie and crumble, also good with bananas and pears, and don't forget cinnamon toast. On the savoury side, it's one of the basic curry spices. This is the only one that I would advocate buying ready ground, unless you have an electric grinder dedicated to spices.

7) Chilli/cayenne pepper. If you have leanings towards spicy, hot food, you have to have chilli, necessary in Indian and Mexican dishes. I buy crushed chillies, which is a neat compromise between whole (fresh or dried) and powder.

8) Cloves. For sweets and curries, oranges and pear deserts, cloves are unsurpassed. They are extremely economical as you rarely need more than a few, and one or two stuck in an onion work wonders in chicken stock. Stud a roast ham with cloves, and you are entering a different class of dish.

9) Onion. I always though that if I was left with one vegetable in the world, I would choose onion. Strictly speaking, it's just that - a vegetable, but it's rarely eaten in bulk on its own, and often used as flavouring. It's absolutely essential for most pork dishes, and it's a make or break of many a stew, stock and sauce. It's used to make pretty much any curry base paste. And fresh, thinly sliced onion is a wonderful addition to tomato salad!

10) Garlic. Another one from the onion family, stronger and with more character, indispensable in many dishes (and quite useful in many, many more). From salad dressing to curry base to marinades and rubs for chops and roasts, garlic is one of the most versatile fresh spices. I can't imagine lamb chops without it!

11) Parsley. This was a difficult one for me to pick, as I like to have a selection of fresh herbs available that includes parsley, dill, chives, and, depending on mood, a selection of coriander leaf, basil and tarragon. I also have a rosemary and mint growing pretty much wild in the garden, so can use those when needed. But if I was to pick only one of those green leafy herbs as the basic, I would have to go for parsley, as it's the best one to use as a part of bouquet garni for any stock, sauce or soup,

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