Tata

Tata Tea Gold is a blend of CTC tea with a portion of hand-picked long leaves folded in, sold in a 450g pack — built for the strong, milky chai brewed on the stove rather than a delicate cup.

The CTC grain gives the colour and the strength that stands up to milk, sugar, ginger, cardamom and masala; the longer leaves round the cup out and soften the edge. It brews fast and dark, which is exactly what you want for a morning cup or an evening chai with biscuits.

For a strong cup, boil the tea with water first, then add milk and bring it back to a boil. Keep the pack sealed in an airtight container away from spices, since tea picks up nearby smells.

Tata Himalayan Rock Pink Salt is mined rock salt, coarse-crystal and pale pink from the trace minerals in the rock, in a 1kg pack.

The taste is clean and slightly rounder than refined table salt, and it dissolves well into cooking. Use it as your everyday kitchen salt — in dal, sabzi, curries, roti dough and marinades — or in a grinder at the table. It is also the salt many people keep for fasting days, when regular table salt is set aside.

Store it in a dry, airtight container away from steam; rock salt draws moisture from the air and will cake if the pack is left open near the hob.