I am not just talking throwing in a little more chilli but adding an extra flavour layer with spices like cardamom, star anise and mixed spice.
Moroccan food is a great example of this as Alison Lambert shows with her take on Moorish dishes.
Fiona McLaren also gets the spices out to make her own bitters for an interesting twist to your next cocktail party.
The cool winter days when you are stuck inside are also a perfect time to do a quick survey of your spices, to check how long they have been lingering in the back of the cupboard and refresh those that are out of date as spices loose their potency over time and don’t taste as good.
It is best to buy spices in small amounts if you do not use them very often and keep them in a cool, dry place.
To keep us inspired this winter we have David Pierson walking us through Singapore's hawker food scene creating images of heat and spice to help keep us going through winter.
I hope this inspires you to spice things up a bit this winter.
Keep warm.
Rebecca Fox
Lifestyle editor
