A guide to the spice brands and own-label ranges in British supermarkets, from Schwartz and Bart to Rajah, Natco and Tropical Sun, and how their prices per gram compare.
The short answer¶
A British supermarket sells spices in two quite different places. The herbs and spices aisle has small glass jars: the supermarket's own label, a branded range (usually Schwartz, sometimes Bart), and sometimes a premium own label. The world-food aisle has bags and shakers from brands that grew up supplying South Asian, Caribbean, African and Middle Eastern cooks: Rajah, Natco, Tropical Sun, Dunn's River, Indus and others. The same ground cumin can cost six or seven times as much per gram in a small branded jar as in a large world-food bag.
Neither is always the better buy. A jar is sensible for a spice you use a pinch at a time; a bag is far better value for anything you cook with every week, provided you store it well (see storing spices) and use it before it fades (see how long spices last).
What it costs per gram¶
Ground cumin, a good benchmark because every range sells it, at online prices checked in September 2026:
| Range | Pack | Price | Per 100g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schwartz | 37g jar | £2.00 | £5.41 |
| ASDA Cook | 41g jar | £1.00 | £2.44 |
| Tesco | 43g jar | £1.00 | £2.33 |
| Tesco or Sainsbury's | 100g | £1.90 | £1.90 |
| Aldi (Ready, Set…Cook!) | 40g | £0.65 | about £1.63 |
| Natco | 400g bag | £3.20 | £0.80 |
Prices move, and promotions change the picture from week to week, but the shape of it holds: branded jars are the dearest way to buy, own-label jars are roughly half the price, and a large world-food bag is cheaper again. Compare the price per 100g on the shelf label rather than the price of the pack.
Branded jars¶
Schwartz¶
The best-known branded range in Britain, with glass jars and orange-and-black lids. Schwartz traces its origins to a spice mill in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the nineteenth century, came to Britain in 1959, and has been owned by the American spice company McCormick since 1984. As well as single herbs and spices it sells recipe mixes in sachets, rubs and seasonings. Refill sachets for the jars are worth looking out for: they cost less than a new jar and use far less packaging. Sold in nearly every supermarket, and usually the most expensive per gram of the everyday options.
Bart¶
Founded in 1963 by Reg and Jo Bartlam, who started out selling from their garage in Bristol. It is still based in Bristol and has supplied Waitrose since 1975. In 2017 it was bought by the German spice group Fuchs, and at the time it was described as the country's second-largest branded herb and spice business. The range leans towards cooks who want something a little beyond the basics: pastes, blends and less common spices as well as the standard jars.
Supermarket own labels¶
Every large supermarket has its own jars, usually at about half the price of Schwartz for the same spice. Own-label jars are made by specialist spice packers to the supermarket's specification, and for everyday spices the quality is generally sound. As with any jar, check the best-before date, which is often two or three years away, and buy the freshest-dated jar on the shelf.
- Tesco sells a standard own-label range in jars, with larger 100g packs of the most-used spices, and blends such as ras el hanout.
- Sainsbury's has standard own-label jars and 100g packs, plus an Inspired to Cook range with blends such as ras el hanout.
- Asda launched Cook by Asda in 2023: more than 130 herbs, spices, seasonings, pastes and frozen herbs covering a dozen cuisines, from 80p. Its everyday jars are labelled ASDA Cook, and larger packs carry QR codes linking to recipes.
- Aldi has the cheapest jars of the lot. Its own-label spices, once sold as Stonemill, now appear as Ready, Set…Cook!, beside the premium Specially Selected line and seasoning mixes.
- Waitrose sells its spices as Cooks' Ingredients, a range launched in 2005 and relaunched in 2022 with more unusual additions such as deggi mirch, vadouvan and Tajín. The jars now have paper labels and metal lids.
- M&S has a range of more than eighty herbs, spices and blends, from single spices to dukkah and ras el hanout, in jars and pouches, some under the Cook With M&S name.
World-food brands¶
These are usually found in the world-food aisle and in independent grocers, in bags and shakers rather than small jars. They are the best value for spices you get through quickly.
Rajah¶
A South Asian spice brand that began in London in 1931 as the Bombay Emporium, importing spices from India, according to the company. It is now owned by Westmill, part of Associated British Foods. The range runs to well over a hundred products: whole and ground spices, garam masalas, curry powders, pastes and pickles. Rajah's curry powders and seasonings are as much a part of many Caribbean kitchens in Britain as South Asian ones.
Natco¶
A family company that has sold South Asian spices, pulses, flours and nuts in Britain since the 1960s. It began in East London and is now based in Buckingham. Its large bags (400g of ground cumin, for example) are among the cheapest ways to buy everyday spices, and are sold in Sainsbury's as well as Asian grocers.
Indus¶
A South Asian grocery range from Indus Foods, a family business in Birmingham that has supplied the city's Asian shops since the 1960s. Its bags of ground spices, tandoori masala and garam masala, along with flours and pulses, turn up in the world-food aisles of the larger supermarkets.
Tropical Sun¶
The own brand of Wanis, a London world-food wholesaler founded in 1964. Tropical Sun was launched in 1996 and now has some 700 products across Caribbean, African, Asian and Latin American cooking. Its 100g shakers of all-purpose seasoning, jerk seasoning, curry powder and allspice are cheap and widely stocked, in Tesco, Asda and Morrisons among others.
Dunn's River¶
A Caribbean seasoning brand named after Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica, sold mostly in 100g shakers (all-purpose, jerk, fish, chicken, lamb and barbecue seasonings) and large catering tubs. It is owned by Grace Foods UK, part of the Jamaican company GraceKennedy, which bought the business in 2007. Check the label on the blends: Dunn's River All Purpose Seasoning, for example, contains monosodium glutamate (E621). See caribbean cuisine.
Al'Fez¶
A Middle Eastern and North African brand, started in London in 2001 by Sam Jacobi, who grew up in the Middle East. It was bought by Associated British Foods in 2019 and sits beside Patak's and Blue Dragon in its world-foods business. The range is mostly blends, pastes and meal kits rather than single spices: ras el hanout, za'atar, harissa and couscous kits. See middle eastern cuisine and north african cuisine.
Riya's¶
A newer brand from Leicester, started by its founders in their garage and sold as Riya's Original Recipe. It makes ready-blended spice mixes (tandoori masala, masala fish, peri-peri) aimed at cooking a particular dish, and says it is stocked by Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's.
Choosing between them¶
- For spices you use every week (cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala), buy a world-food bag, decant a jarful and keep the rest airtight in the dark. See spice racks and jars.
- For spices you use a few times a year, a small own-label jar is cheaper overall than a bag that goes stale.
- For blends, read the ingredients. Seasoning shakers often contain salt, sugar or flavour enhancers high on the list; a single-spice jar never should.
- For whole spices, the world-food bags usually have the widest choice: whole cumin, coriander, green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon sticks, which keep far longer than ground (see whole vs ground spices).
- Smell before you buy where you can. A fresh ground spice smells strong the moment you open it, whatever the label says.
📌 Safety
Ground spices from established brands sold in British supermarkets are subject to UK food law and routine testing. The spices most often adulterated elsewhere are saffron, chilli powders and turmeric; see spice adulteration and lead in spices.