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Peoplefood speaks with Ian “Herbie” Hemphill from Herbies Spices Rozelle.
In Rozelle, Sydney, sits a terrace house. A red wheelbarrow sits on the porch – yielding from its depths the leafy roughage of a young tree, whose deep vermilion leaves burst against the rich red-painted brick behind. Stepping into the building reveals a heavy wooden counter, upon which sits a hefty granite mortar, cradling the pestle, waiting for the next aromatic gift.
On all walls of the room shelving climbs to the ceiling, each shelf heavily laden with small glass canisters, carafes and jars – putting one in mind of a turn-of-the-century apothecary. On the counter sits a book entitled Spices, Notes and Recipes by Ian Hemphill, and indeed it is Ian “Herbie” Hemphill who is proud to call this corner of the earth his own.
Ian has been immersed in the world of herbs and spices his whole life, his parents John and Rosemary Hemphill helped to pioneer the herb and spice scene 60 years ago and he himself has been involved in the industry for 30 years. As well as being the owner and operator of “Herbie's Spices” in Rozelle, he also is a food writer and shares his knowledge with classes and lectures.
One minute spent talking with Ian and one realises that the world of spices extends far and beyond that which we encounter on the 2 metre stretch in the supermarket. For one thing, you get more than you bargain for when you buy mass-produced herbs and spices from the supermarket. “They've all got fillers in them,” says Ian, “free-pour agents, anti-caking agents, starches, added flavours and colours.”
Additives like these aren't just deterrents for those into organic produce – but is actua
lly a cunning ploy. “It's more important than it sounds,” says Ian, since additives like these are “heavy and cheap and it is a way that companies reduce the cost of their spice blends.” These additives also make many commercial spices unsuitable for celiacs, and can warp the flavour profile of many herbs and spices.
Ian is determined at Herbie's to never use any artifical ingredients. “We will grind ourselves so [the spices] are freshly ground, we also make all of the spice blends – ras el hanout, tajine mix – we make all those ourselves to our own recipes and now have about 90 spice blends...we use a minimum amount of salt and a number of blends contain no salt at all.”
No artificial ingredients is not the only benefit of purchasing spices from an independent store like Herbie's. Ian himself knows exactly where each spice comes from and decides if they are good enough for his customers. Being a small business allows for small production runs of the spice blends, which are all mixed and packaged by hand, resulting in a minimal amount of time between blending them and cooking with them which means you get fresh, rich aromatic herbs.
