14-PACK: The Complete Collection

A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC IN A TIN – AND PERHAPS A VERY CLEVER BIT OF MARKETING!

I was already aware of the marketing campaign and the wonderfully authentic story behind Mrs Balbir Singh's spice blends. But nothing quite prepared me for the experience of actually opening the tins and following a recipe.

Just reading about these spices sets the senses on fire. I find myself imagining Mrs Balbir Singh cooking, tasting and sharing meals around a family table in a home far away from chilly England. You can almost smell the spices, feel the warmth and picture generations of knowledge, tradition and love being passed around the kitchen.

The PR works. I was in, hook, line and sinker.

I even persuaded my family to buy me the complete collection of 14 tins for my birthday.

Am I a fool? Have I simply fallen for clever marketing? After all, we know that the actual cost of the spices and tins represents only a fraction of what we are paying. But perhaps that is missing the point entirely.

On receiving my collection, I couldn't wait to get started. That very evening, I cooked Shahi Chicken using the Shahi Chicken Masala blend.

And, quite honestly, I was blown away.

I wasn't expecting to be quite so impressed. There is something rather wonderful about following a recipe that has been thoughtfully put together, with the spice blend already expertly balanced. The result was absolutely delicious. Not just a good homemade curry, but something that made me stop and appreciate the depth and complexity of the flavours. It was the sort of meal that makes you want to put down your fork for a moment and think, "Goodness Gracious Me", I've actually made this!

The recipe cards deserve a mention in their own right. They have that lovely vintage appearance, almost as though they have come straight out of Mrs Balbir Singh's original recipe book. They add to the whole experience, making you feel connected to something much bigger than simply opening a tin and adding a spoonful of spice.

In fact, I now have another ambition: to get my hands on an original copy, or an authentic reprint, of Mrs Balbir Singh's 1961 Indian Cookery. I suspect I would be in absolute culinary heaven.

And this is where I think the real genius lies. Yes, the branding is clever. Yes, the story is beautifully told. Yes, you are paying for much more than the contents of a tin. But when you actually get into the kitchen and cook the food, the product has to deliver. And, in my experience, it absolutely does.

I have fourteen blends to explore, a collection of recipes to work my way through and a growing enthusiasm for discovering more about the extraordinary diversity of Indian cooking.

So, have I fallen for the marketing? Absolutely.

Do I regret it? Not one bit.

In fact, if the first evening is anything to go by, I think my family might have bought me one of the best birthday presents imaginable.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have thirteen more tins to work my way through.

I'm officially a convert.

Mrs Balbir Singh never fails to amaze! Really really enjoying this set, especially the Tandoori rub. All the recipes are really easy to follow and absolutely delicious. This particular set is a great way to branch out into vegetarian options whilst maintaining plenty of meat and poultry options. Can't recommend it highly enough!

yum yum😋 had cm my Kashmiri lamb rogan Josh with basmati and naan bread. I really enjoyed the flavourful spices. Will buy again.

After enjoying the 9pk of spices I felt it was time to try something new and as my hubby always chooses a biryani in a restaurant this pack included it.
I still had a few of my original set left so I gave these to my son to try (those small tins hold more than you think)
Kicked off with the biryani - hubby says better than any restaurant (and he’s had a lot!)
Then I made the cocktail kebabs, again just as good as any restaurant and so easy to prepare.
Can’t wait to try the rest!

I have been trying to master Indian cookery for a while and look no further this has really been so helpful and creates the mouth watering curries I have been wanting to achieve - thank you Mrs Balbir Singh - only created a few so far, but so good A1 5*

Ordered a few weeks ago, just about to order these two again. Love the curries, a step above the norm. Kerala coconut chicken thighs with sweet potato pictured. Yum.

💯 for flavor
plan to buy more I will work my way through everything

Ive never been great at making a curry until now so easy to follow and the taste is fantastic even used the basmati rice recipe will only ever make rice using this method it was amazing. Picture is old Delhi butter chicken first one I made also done tandoori roast chicken tasted so delicious.

I made the chicken masala last night for all of us & was gorgeous, wasn't to sure at first but once been cooking slowly for a while was beautiful ❤️

Only tried a few of the recipes & spices so far….but the finished results were fantastic & as good as anything you’d get in a restaurant. The recipe cards are so easy to follow & you really cannot go wrong. The butter chicken recipe is a firm favourite with everybody, even fussy grandkids.
The spices come well packed with the recipe cards, my only gripe was the black plastic cover in the spice tins, meaning you have to shake out the spices onto a measuring spoon. I did try to remove them, but they were on pretty tight & I didn't want to force them off, in case I spilled the spice mix everywhere. Apart from that I was really happy with my purchase( the collection) & I will definitely be buying them again once I’ve used them up. I hope that they produce more recipe cards with other curries & that you’d be able to download them without having to buy spices to get them. If you’ve bought spices then if they produce more recipe cards, it’d be great if you could just log in to your account & download them.

Well ,what I say , totally stunning in every way .
The spice sensation is incredible, can't fault the dishes I've made .
Tandoori chops , tandoori chicken skewers,mughlai keema masala,shahi chicken masala and kashmiri rogan Josh . Great value , can't wait to add to my collection 😀 😋

Very pleased with my complete collection purchase. I’ve tried two curry’s so far Keralan coconut curry and Shahi Masala curry. Both really delicious and easy to follow. Look forward to trying all in the range. My husband said they are the best Currys I’ve ever made so glad I decided to try Mrs Balbir spice range! Photo of kerslan curry forgot to take photo of Shahi as was very eager to eat it lol

Only tried one recipe so far, the Butter Chicken, but full of depth and flavour. Expertly mixed balance of flavours and easy to follow recipes. Very happy with this purchase.

Bought these and last night followed the recipe card and created the best butter chicken iv ever made. Absolutely gorgeous. The blends are perfect and the easy to follow recipe cards are spot on. Recommended to my sons.

Am really excited to try all these spices and so pleased with Goan Vindaloo which was a great success and yesterday made the Roast Lamb Raan which is fabulous the flavour exquisite.
Look for to seafood next.

I don’t normally write reviews but I felt this needed one,
perfectly package and when I owned it the attention to detail was great couple of leaflets explaining everything made it so simple to cook and the taste was mouthwatering will definitely be ordering more

A fabulous range of blended spices. I am looking forward to making many of these dishes. The lamb raan was delicious! I wish the pots were bigger!

So pleased I ordered these. They smell fabulous. They make the big uk supermarket brands seem insipid and made me realise good Indian dishes are not all sloppy casserole style. Using high quality rubs on meat, fish and in vegetable sides are the real way. The meat rub 100g tins are really generous sizes. I was so excited they were coming today I bought a lamb shoulder ready to try tonight! We're having this with the lamb rub on green salad and homemade spicy coleslaw.

If you want to make authentic Curry's in your own home then Mrs Balbir Singh is the place to start.
I consider myself as a bit of a curry expert having eaten the cuisine all my life and I'm now 57.
I have had some really fantastic dishes and some not so good at many Indian restaurants all over the UK.
Always seeking that holey grail of Curry's.
When it comes to trying to recreate them at home that's a totally different thing.
I have found when it comes to spices they are not all the same.
Thay might look the same and smell the same but trust me the quality is far from all the same.
Putting the quality to one side its then trying to get the blend of different spices right to recreate your home made curry to much of one or to little of another can make or break your curry creation.
With Mrs Balbir Singh all those worries are taken care of with the freshest of spices from the spice houses of India to the expertise that goes into creating the perfect blend you are almost there to creating your own gourmet Curry's in your own home.
I say almost because you can have the best of the best spices and ingredients but if you don't know how to go about creating an authentic curry then you are frankly lost in the curry wilderness.
Fear not as you will also receive beautifully presented recipe cards.
With a list of all the ingredients that you will need and an easy step by step guide to putting together a lovely authentic curry.
I have waited for a few weeks since I received my spice selection so I could try a few out so I could write this review giving accurate feedback.
Here are a couple of dishes I have created.
Happy cooking you can't go wrong with Mrs Balbir holding your hand along the way to the perfect home cooked Indian cuisine.