What are your top flavour bombs? We are talking about those bits and bobs from the pantry that lift a dish with a dash of salty, sour, umami, bitter or sweet, taking it from meh to mega with just a sprinkle, a spoonful or a good dollop. On first glance at Gurdeep Loyal’s picks I’m happy to see miso – yes! Tahini – yes, yes, yes! And by the time I get to tamarind paste, I’m fist pumping and doing victory laps around the ottoman. Some of his other choices are new to me (I’ll need to experiment with yuzu koshō) and others make me think again about familiar ingredients such as peanut butter and instant coffee. It’s not just the recipes that thrill – and I’ll get to those in a minute – but Gurdeep’s curiosity to go beyond the usual combinations and explore the full tasty potential of an ingredient. Try the bitter herbiness of Campari married with lively harissa heat to braise brisket; combine salty, grassy pecorino with taleggio, crème fraîche and honeyed peaches in a is-it-savoury-or-is-it-sweet filo pie; play with an Indian-Greek(ish) chaat of masala-coated haloumi grilled to a char in hasselback stripes, then smothered in a tangy-sweet tamarind chutney with spiced chickpeas. Does miso have a place in chocolate cake? Sure it does, its salty-savoury pinging perfectly off sweetness (is swalty a word?) in an airy white chocolate ganache topping. Countless people can cook, but it’s rarer to find a writer skilful with both words and recipes, and Gurdeep sets your imagination spinning with the possibilities of these pantry powerhouses. TRACY WHITMEY