Sanjay & Shashi Aggarwal, co-founders of food and gifting business, Spice Kitchen

Our Story

From our kitchen table to cooking pots and pantries all over the world. What started with a love of cooking has grown into a business built on flavour, curiosity and bringing people together around the table. We hope our spices inspire you to cook boldly, experiment often and create memories over meals that are shared.

While our roots are proudly Kenyan and Indian, our curiosity has always stretched much further. When Shashi arrived in Birmingham in the 1970s, she discovered a city alive with flavours from around the world, where ingredients, recipes and culinary traditions from countless cultures sat side by side. Sanjay grew up immersed in that wonderfully vibrant food scene, where discovering a new cuisine was simply part of everyday life. That spirit of curiosity continues to shape Spice Kitchen today.

We are Sanjay and Shashi Aggarwal, mother and son duo and co-founders of Spice Kitchen: a family owned, family run business, and this is our story so far...

Where It All Began

Every family has recipes that tell a story… ours just happened to become a business. Spice Kitchen began around a family dining table on Christmas Day in 2012. Having discovered that retirement wasn't quite as fun as she'd imagined, Shashi was looking for a hobby to keep her busy when Sanjay suggested she start selling the spice blends that family and friends had loved for years.

Together they began talking about creating a beautiful sari wrapped spice tin that people would love to give and be excited to cook from. It was, as Sanjay still describes it, a "silly little idea" but really… it was inspired by a lifetime of family recipes, shared meals and the belief that good food has a remarkable way of bringing people together. To this day, Shashi and her team of seamstresses hand sew the sari wraps that dress our famous spice tins.

Spice Kitchen's Pav Bhaji dish as featured in Sanjay Aggarwal's cookery book, also called Spice Kitchen

Exploring Flavour

We love exploring the flavours, techniques and traditions that make kitchens around the world so exciting, encouraging home cooks to experiment with confidence, whether that's mastering a family curry, discovering Middle Eastern cooking or trying something completely new. Our growing collection of recipes is designed to help every cook feel a little more adventurous, one meal at a time.

We're not simply selling spices. We're inviting you into a way of cooking that's adventurous, curious and full of flavour. A way of cooking that celebrates different cultures, encourages you to get (more!) confident in the kitchen and creates reasons to gather the people you love around your kitchen table. Wherever your cooking journey begins, we want to be part of it!

More Than A Decade Of Giving Back

Supporting others through food feels like a natural extension of what we naturally do, which is why giving back has been part of Spice Kitchen from the very beginning.

Through our partnership with The Akshaya Patra Foundation, every Sari Wrapped Spice Tin we sell helps provide a nutritious meal to a child who needs one in the UK or India. Access to a hot meal can do far more than satisfy hunger. It supports learning, improves wellbeing and gives children the opportunity to thrive. Knowing that every spice tin helps contribute to that work makes this partnership incredibly special to us.

Our Feasting Kits were created to bring people together around the table, so it felt right that they should also help others do the same. For every Feasting Kit purchased, we make a donation to Save the Children, helping to provide essential food and support for children and families living in conflict-affected areas of the Middle East.

Our Values

Family Owned. Family Run. Spice Kitchen began around a family dining table and remains proudly family-owned and run. Our recipes and values have been passed down through generations, along with a belief in treating every customer with genuine warmth and care. 

Ethically Sourced. We work with trusted suppliers around the world, sourcing our spices in small quantities to keep them fresh, flavourful and responsibly produced.

Blended in Small Batches. Our blends have been developed through decades of cooking, tasting and refining, then carefully prepared in small batches to preserve their balance and character. 

Handmade With Love. From our hand-blended spices to our signature recycled-sari wraps, individually made by Shashi and her team... everything receives a thoughtful, personal touch. We also believe in giving back, proudly supporting charities that create brighter futures for children and communities.