We here at The Amazing Blog love our Indian food and spices. They always add the perfect amount of kick and can make any meal an exciting one. I personally love just making some simple rice and chicken and then adding a good, rich and thick sauce to it. It makes the perfect quick and easy meal. That’s why I was so excited when we received Geeta’s Spice & Stir Saag and Karai Bhuna sauces, especially since these are a sauce and spice packet combination. I couldn’t wait to get cooking.

I first tried the Saag Spice & Stir sauce, simply because I love spinach (Saag means spinach). This fragrant and slightly spicy sauce is full of delicate spinach, aromatic spices and savoury garlic. It was the perfect compliment to my steamed rice and grilled chicken. Not to mention it’s completely free of any artificial flavours, colours and preservatives.

The next night, I decided to try the other sauce and spice combination that we received. The Karai Bhuna Spice & Stir sauce is very different from the Saag Spice & Stir sauce. Bhuna is a method of Indian cooking which uses whole and ground spices which are added to hot oil and then slightly browned. This sauce is then constantly stirred in order to allow the spices to fully develop in order to create a sauce that is absolutely delicious. It’s a rich tomato sauce with onion, coriander leaf and a special blend of spices. I tried this on my rice and chicken as well and although I found it to be very flavourful I did prefer the Saag Spice & Stir sauce to this one. I found this sauce to be a bit to rich for my taste.

Let Geeta show you the exciting and colourful flavours of India, although be warned the spice packet on the top of the jar can be a bit difficult to pop off. You can purchase your own Geeta’s Spice & Stir sauces from her website for £2.09 for each sauce and spice combinations.

With the end of the Summer around the corner, at The Amazing Blog we've been enjoying the summer parties the French way with Pastis Henri Bardouin, 'le Grand Cru du Pastis'. It's the only pastis produced in Forcalquier, an area of Provence famous for its herbs and anise. At the beginning of the last century there were 10 distilleries in Forcalquier producing pastis, but only one remains today: Distillers et Domaines de Provence, an independent company founded in 1898 which is still produces the finest pastis named after its founder Henri Bardouin. Pastis Henri Bardouin is a complex of 50 natural Provencal herbs and imported spices rich in aroma and flavour such as: mugwort, bluebonnet, sage, star anise, cardamon, black and white pepper, tonka bean, grains of paradise, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. These spices and herbs are purchased directly from the growers surrounding the region or from specialist spice importers. Each ingredient of Pastis Herni Bardouin is individually infused in 96% alcohol to extract the aroma and flavour for 3 months. After that and in a month time, the blend takes place and the final result is bottled with a 45% of alcohol.

Pastis Henri Bardouin is recognised in France as the ultimate pastis, to be enjoyed as an aperitif or as a thirst-quenching drink mixed with water, which only requires one part of Pastis and 5 or 6 part of water. Pastis should be poured into a glass first and then add water from a jug containing ice - putting ice in the glass isn't recommended as it will kill the aromas of the pastis.

The taste of Pastis Henri Bardouin is intense and refreshing, the largest selling spirit drink in France, where over 6 million cases are consumed annually over vodka and whisky.

At The Amazing Blog we really enjoyed mixing Pastis Henri Bardouin with cola to make our own Mazout cocktail and enjoying it in the sun.

Pastis Henri Bardouin is available in Harrods, Waitrose and Independent Retailers at £20.75.