Spice up your life

Here in London we're basking in what might just might be a brief Indian summer. 

With the Commonwealth Games in Delhi - and the launch of Pushpesh Pant's much-anticipated India Cookbook - just around the corner, what better time to get thinking about doing some real Indian cooking?

Indian ingredients and cookware are now widely available in most cities, but if you're stuck for that certain spice there is now an excellent range of online specialist shops. Siras and Spices of India (both UK-based) stock fresh ingredients, kitchenware and sweets. Indian Foods Co (in the US) has a good supply of Indian food with organic alternatives, while Kalustyan's (also US-based) covers Middle Eastern as well as South Asian products.