14 best condiments that will spice up your home cooking

We’re a nation of condiment lovers. From our trusty tomato ketchup to hair-raising hot sauces, we think you’ll agree that with the right dollop, blob or sprinkle, transforms even the humblest plate of food into something very special.

However, with an ever-expanding worldly influence, our palates have been left wanting more and sadly the likes of English mustard and malt vinegar are just not enough to keep our taste buds tingling these days.

Instead, we’re looking further afield, for new takes on herb and spice combinations, Asian-inspired marinades or the rich pastes and pestos which have been the backdrop of Mediterranean cooking for years.

It’s surprising what a switch of sauce can do to your dried goods – turning pasta, rice and lentils into many more meals then you’d previously have thought possible.

We were on the lookout for versatile special ingredients that would work wonders in a multitude of dishes.

For example, tomato ketchup that could also be used as a paste, or a spicy table sauce you’ll find you want to pair with everything – brightening up brunch through to dinner.

With BBQ season on the horizon, we can see us turning to these unique ingredients again and again in the coming months. But on the whole, they’re just as good all year round.

We’ve linked to the stockists that are still currently offering delivery, because we know it’s still a challenge to get a slot from the big supermarkets.

These are the hero products that we believe will give a bit of oomph to the store cupboard basics, we're all eating right now.

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