The food I bring home from my holidays

Milk duds and deli mustard (from the US). Gongura pickle and ghee sweets (from India). Clément Faugier crème de marrons (from France) — but only in a tube you can squeeze like toothpaste.

These are a few of my favourite things to bring back from abroad. What’s the appeal of culinary souvenirs? Some are a fraction of the cost and fresher at source. Sometimes I just want to prolong the holiday. And yes, I have brought a phallus-shaped bottle of mastiha back from Greece. And no, it wasn’t the same at home.

Anna Jones, food writer and author of Easy Wins (Fourth Estate)

Meyer lemons are a cross between a citron (a type of lemon) and a mandarin, and are available from farmers’ markets all over California. I always bring some back after staying with my sister in LA. To me they are the perfect lemon — sharp and zingy like lemons, but bright and sherbet-y like mandarins. I use them in place of lemons in my cooking and baking, and I freeze slices to go in gin and tonics.

Luke Farrell, creative director of Plaza Khao Gaeng and Speedboat Bar

Kom Kom knives have a particular Thai shape that’s useful for shredding green mango and papaya, and they usually come in a set with a fruit carving knife and cleaver. I like the wooden-handled ones and scour old cooking supply shops for vintage models. I also buy 100 per cent palm sugar from Phetchaburi province, which is hard to find outside of Thailand. It’s umami-packed, not just sweet, and great added to curries, desserts and coffee.

Merlin Labron-Johnson, chef-patron of Osip

I pick up staples that give authentic Mexican flavour. Chipotle chillies in adobo I use as a base for lots of sauces, particularly mole-style braises, as well as marinating meat. Fresh or ground masa (nixtamalized corn for tortillas) is good for tacos, breakfast tortillas and tostadas.

Claire Dinhut, author of The Condiment Book (Bloomsbury)

Back in the day, my sport was fencing. I travelled around the US for championships and my pre-tournament routine shifted to pulled-pork sandwiches when I started visiting states with BBQ culture. No two BBQ sauces are alike. Mayo-based BBQ sauce is an Alabama speciality. Vinegar-based BBQ sauce is thinner, and common in eastern North Carolina. In western North Carolina, Lexington-style sauce is sweeter, thicker and includes ketchup. Every barbecue joint has a selection.

Denai Moore, cook and owner of Flaky at Dalston Yard

I moved away from Jamaica aged nine and no one prepared me for how much I would yearn for a proper flaky patty. Whenever a family member visits, I ask for a box of patties. Ideally from our family favourite, Tastee Patty. Now I’m vegan it’s soy patties from Juici Patties. tasteejamaica.com

Jeremy Chan, co-founder and executive chef at Ikoyi

Yuzu curd from the Agrumes Schaller Bachès, an artisanal curd made with yuzu from some of the oldest vines in Europe grown in the Pyrenees. I came across the item while visiting the Schaller Baches farm, as we source all of the citruses at Ikoyi through them. All the fruits are picked to order and they have more than 1,000 varieties growing. I whip the curd into my oats in the morning.

Chet Sharma, chef/patron of BiBi, London

I first had Vale’s Chamba’s Chukh on a visit to my wife’s aunt in Jaipur. She had just been to a hill station near Simla and come across a local variety of chilli called chamba, which they make into a type of pickle, chukh. She ate it with every meal and got me hooked. Now I add it to pasta sauce and Thai dishes for deep, tingly heat. It’s great in marinades too.

Caroline Eden, food writer and author of Cold Kitchen (Bloomsbury)

Svan salt — combining dried coriander, blue fenugreek, marigold petals, garlic, red pepper, wild caraway seeds and salt — comes from the remote mountainous Svaneti region in Georgia. It’s pungent and deeply savoury, so at home I use it often but sparingly, adding it to soups, scones, boiled eggs and salads. Recently I developed a recipe for a Svan Bloody Mary. Helpfully, a shop in Tbilisi called Waime Spices sells sealed packets for visitors to take away. waimespices.ge

Josh Niland, chef-owner of Saint Peter in Sydney

Pantry staples from Noma Projects in Copenhagen, including elderflower peaso, mushroom garum, dashi RDX, wild rose vinegar, corn and yuzu hot sauce and vegan XO. The branding is beautiful, the products are so thoughtfully developed and they’re incredibly delicious. They became immediate seasonings for family meals at Saint Peter.

Helen Goh, co-author of Ottolenghi Comfort and Ottolenghi Sweet (Ebury Press)

Bak Kwa are thin squares of marinated, air-dried, charcoal-grilled meat — a bit like jerky. I grew up eating them as a snack in Malaysia and especially as a treat during Chinese New Year. It’s impossible to make them at home without a wood-fired grill. On trips to and from Australia, I deliberately transit at Singapore Changi Airport to visit a store that sells very good vacuum-packed ones.

Philip Khoury, head of pastry at Harrods and author of A New Way to Bake

I buy zaatar in Lebanon. There are more than 50 varieties — some with other herbs, spices and nuts. My favourite is a blend of wild foraged thyme, zesty sumac and toasted sesame seeds. Always organic. Cheaper zaatar has a lot of stem/roughage, while a good producer (such as Alia Concept) picks the leaves from the stem.

Riaz Phillips, author of West Winds and East Winds (DK Publishing)

Shado beni (also known as chadon beni, culantro, sawtooth coriander) grows like weeds in parts of the Caribbean. I usually bring some back stowed in airtight bags. Its sharp, fresh taste is so distinctive that although you can use alternatives such as regular coriander, it’s just not the same. I blitz it and combine with garlic, salt, citrus juice and peppers to make a green seasoning to marinade absolutely any dish or to add a burst of fresh flavour.

Romy Gill, cook

Loose tea has always been important to me (I never use tea bags), and I like supporting small producers. So I often return from India with leaves from the Manjhee Valley Tea Estate in Dharamshala — either a special blend in potli (muslin bags) or its needle tea (an absolute favourite).

Andrew Wong, chef-patron of A Wong

Sujata spice grinders from India, because UK grinders are awful. Sujata grinders never break, grind very fine and are superfast.

Andy Baraghani, cook and author of The Cook You Want to Be (Ebury Press)

Incense from Lisn in Kyoto. I like scents that are dry, earthy and woody. They provide a cleanse to the room after I’ve been cooking all day. I also collect ceramics. Essence Kyoto and Wakabaya are favourite stores. I like “pinch” bowls for dried chilli flakes like urfa biber and maras pepper to sprinkle onto dishes, and small bowls for soup or lazy grain bowls. lisn.co.jp/kyoto

Nik Sharma, cook and author of Veg-Table (Chronicle)

I always bring chocolate back from Australia; if I could, I would take separate luggage for it. Koko Black is a particular favourite thanks to its colourful packaging and unique flavour profiles. They use a lot of native Australian ingredients. I’ve used their chocolate to make ice-cream — and an exceptional chocolate chip cookie.

Hélène Darroze, chef 

La sauce aux légumes (sauce with vegetables, fruit, spices and soy sauce), created by the Japanese chef of a little restaurant called Etxe Nami in Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the Basque Country. My daughter and I loved it so much when we visited that they sold me a little bottle. I then cooked with it at home and posted the dish on Instagram. Many of my followers called the restaurant to buy the sauce, so they created a line to sell it. I use it to finish vegetables and fish tagines or as a side for roasted meat or fish. etxenami.com

Lara Lee, cook and author of A Splash of Soy (Bloomsbury)

Australia’s Tim Tam — original flavour. This biscuit has no equal. Two chocolate biscuits sandwiched with chocolate crème, coated in milk chocolate. The best way to enjoy one is “the Tim Tam slam”: bite the diagonal corners, dip the bottom into tea and suck the top corner like a straw — before popping the entire soggy biscuit in your mouth. 

@ajesh34