After favourable experiences with their wonderful lamb, I thought I was on to a winner with a jar of Balti paste provided by Abel & Cole. It’s not by them but by a company called Geo Organics. You mix it with raw meat (chicken in this case) then add tinned tomatoes. I served it with rice and spicy cabbage.

It was disappointing – very little flavour to speak of, just a harsh burning sensation masking any real spices or aromas. It only goes to cement my notion that curry pastes really can’t be done in a jar – they are best prepared at home, with your own masala, with your own tempering. It’s a shame as I really wanted to like it; Geo Organics’ credentials are superb and you have to applaud the type of products they are making and the way they approach it. Unfortunately the flavour was just not there in this case.