Capers

Briny, bright, and endlessly useful — capers are the little green flavour bombs every well-stocked kitchen relies on. These plump, cured flower buds carry a punchy salt-and-tang bite that cuts through richness and wakes up a plate.

Scatter them over smoked salmon and cream cheese, fold them into pasta and butter sauces, brighten a salad, tartare, or a caper vinaigrette, or stir them into a classic piccata. Shelf-stable and always ready when you need that finishing lift, they're a pantry essential for coastal cooking.