If you would like to use seasoning other than salt, and add a Middle Eastern flavour to your meal, sumac is worth a go. Available in all good Middle Eastern supermarkets, the spice is crushed from bright red dried berries. It has a fruity and lemony taste that works with everything from fish to meat to vegetables.

In Arab cuisine it is used as a garnish on meze such as hummus and is also added to salads. In Iranian (Persian and Kurdish) cuisine, sumac is added to rice or kebab. In Turkish cuisine, for example, it is added to salad-servings of kebabs and lahmacun (spicy minced lamb flatbreads).

Experiment with amounts and start with a small pinch, remembering that it is quite lemony, and will impact the flavour balance of your meal.