I mean, basically powders. I'm a curry lover, but lazy. I used to live in London in the 70s and 80s, where I could have got anything I wanted to make a proper curry, but I never learned to make one up from basic ingredients. I used to limit myself to a curry powder called Venkat, which I believe you can't get any more. I also liked Bolst's powder, but I haven't seen that for years. Since then maybe my taste buds have gone peculiar, or else the available powders are not as good as they once were, but these days I can't find any powder that I like.

In recent years I've been living in Northern Ireland where I can't (or not easily) get anything except what's available in supermarkets. The pastes are foul, and the powders are bland. But a few days ago I sent off (to London!) for some Rajah powder, hoping that would be better. It hasn't arrived yet, but in the meantime can anyone suggest other powders? The ones I've tried, and don't think much of, are Sharwood's, Schwartz, Colman's, and a couple of others I can't think of the name of.