It’s another year in lockdown, and many of us are still cooking at home –trying out new recipes, avoiding frequent trips to the grocery, and lessening our take-out orders to save money.

Nowadays, online shops that deliver pantry staples, meats, seafood, local ingredients, and fresh produce to your doorstep are a god-send.

Are your spice jars running low? Is your pantry in need of restocking? If it’s spices, dried herbs, and seasonings you need, no worries – these local shops within and outside of Metro Manila can conveniently cater to your home cooking needs.

South Thingz

South Thingz, an online business based in Bacoor, Cavite, sells most of your basic spices and powders in resealable packs, bottles, canisters, and jars of varying sizes at affordable prices, especially if you’re buying in bulk.

They offer dried herbs, like parsley leaves, chili flakes, rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme, local saffron, Italian seasoning, cloves, laurel, and star anise. They also have powders: cumin, onion powder, Spanish paprika, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, nutmeg, chili powder, turmeric, black/white pepper, coriander, and annatto.

South Thingz also carries seasonings and flavoring powders like garam masala, Indian curry, barbecue, garlic salt, bacon seasoning, cheese, salted egg, Old Bay, lemon and pepper, taco, and minced or granulated garlic.

You can place your orders via Instagram or on South Thingz’ Shopee store.

The Urban Spices

These “purveyors of fresh spices” carry a selection of spices, powders, and seasonings mostly used for flavorful stews, and tea. In cute, labeled glass jars, they offer cloves, five-spice, cumin seeds, garam masala, fennel seeds, curry powder, all-spice, chili powder, cinnamon powder, cumin, and turmeric. They also have pink, Szechuan, and green peppercorns.

The Urban Spices is also known for their ready-to-use chai mix (30g at P300), golden milk (70g at P350), and pumpkin spice (40g at P200) blends, which are made in small batches. They’re all-natural, unprocessed, sugar-free, vegan, and keto-friendly.

Their shop is based in Quezon City. To order, you can visit their Shopee store.

Spices MNL

The spices and seasoning selection of local shop Spices MNL is extensive – they carry dried leaves, powders, herbs, and even seeds at reasonable prices. There’s celery powder, chili flakes, chili garlic mix, chili powder, cinnamon powder, clove powder, and coriander powder, ranging from P120 to P250. Their items are available in either 50g, 100g, 80g, 90g,100g, 110g, or 120g jars or packs.

Other options include cumin, curry, fennel seeds, five-spice, fried garlic, garlic minced, garlic powder, ginger powder, bay leaves, nutmeg, onion minced, onion powder, oregano leaves, and paprika powder. Need dried herbs? They’ve got parsley, rosemary, and thyme, as well as star anise, whole black pepper, white pepper, and white sesame seeds.

Spices MNL is based in Greenwoods, Pasig City, but they can ship nationwide. You can order via Instagram.

Lasa Herbs and Spices

Local biz Lasa Herbs and Spices creates their own seasoning blends that have become pantry essentials for many home cooks.

Packaged in cute shakers, Lasa’s 3 spice blends include the Under The Sea shaker (P350) for seafood recipes, All-Purpose garlic and pepper (P360), and the Autumn Blend pumpkin spice (P330) for desserts, stews, and hot drinks.

Lasa’s gluten-free blends are also available in flat packs for an additional P100 each. They’re vegan, paleo, and keto-friendly, too. Trying all three? Get the Lasa Starter Pack for P999.

Lasa Herbs and Spices is located in Mandaluyong City, but they can deliver nationwide. You can place your orders via their website.

Chef Reggie

Chef Reggie makes 100% vegan, ready-to-use spices and herbs, good for dry rubs, marinades, home cooking, or even just as a topping for dishes. The top 5 spices include Cajun Spice, Mesquite Rub, Steak Rub, Herbs De Provence, and Pink Himalayan Salt. Depending on the size of the shakers and packs, the items range from P85 to P265.

Chef Reggie is located in Quezon City and at Good Mood Grocer in Katipunan. They can cater to same-day delivery. To order, message their Instagram page.

Retail Spice PH

Cavite-based business Retail Spice PH carries meat seasonings, herbs, and spices imported from Germany, ranging from P160 to P310.

For meats, you can get Retail Spice’s aroma, cajun, grilled barbecue, gyro, hamburger, honey garlic chicken, Italian pizza, lemon spice, mesquite, smoked, or steak seasonings.

They also have a wide variety of ground and whole spices, like all-spice, star anise, basil, bay leaves, chili, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, coriander, dill tips, garlic, herbs de provence, lemon peel, marjoram, mustard, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, pepper (white or black), rosemary, Spanish saffron, sage, star anise, tarragon, and thyme.

Retail Spice is available on RareFood Shop, Lazada, and Shopee. You can also place your nationwide orders via SMS at 09175040739.

Gabriel’s Herbs and Spices

Gabriel’s herbs and spices come in reusable 25g and 50g glass jars and resealable packs. They offer the basic dried herbs, like parsley flakes, oregano, basil, and rosemary. For powders, they have chili, cayenne, nutmeg, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, curry, white pepper, cumin, paprika, and garlic.

They also curate assorted gift sets of herbs and spices, which makes for a thoughtful gift idea.

Gabriel’s Hersbs and Spices is based in Malabon City. You can place your orders via Instagram or Shopee.

Mad About Herbs

Mad About Herbs offers preservative-free, natural flavor enhancers, herbs, and flavored salts in 100ml jars for P120 each, which include basil, Italian oregano, chili lime, lemon thyme, rosemary, kaffir lime, parsley, and garlic.

They also have more popular seasonings for P180 in 150ml shakers, such as Everything But the Bagel, BB! Dry Rub, seaweed rice, and Chinese spice blends. They also sell a homemade chili garlic for P120, fried garlic for P120, or the chili garlic mushroom for P150.

Mad About Herbs’ items can last for 8 months up to a year. They are based in Candelaria, Quezon, but can deliver around the country. You can place your orders via Instagram. – Rappler.com

Hidden Spices

Your “home of hard-to-find, premium, and exotic spices,” Hidden Spices sources unique spices from from all over the world. With over 50 variants, Hidden Spices’ array includes Madagascar Vanilla Beans, Brazilian Tonka Beans, and Ceylon Cinnamon.

They also have different Mexican, Schezuan, and Turkish chili peppers, as well as Dutch Poppyseeds, Bulgarian juniper berries, Indonesian cloves, Jamaican all-spice, and Persian saffron, among many others.

They’re based in Paranaque City. You can place your orders via Instagram.

Purchase herbs and spices with this Shopee voucher code.