‘Masale bolte hain – the spices speak’
Arun Kapil is a masaalchi, a spice master, flavour fanatic and instinctive cook. Founder of the multi-award-winning spice company Green Saffron, he’s made it his life’s work to rewire how we think about spice: fresh, direct-from- farm, full-flavoured and unapologetically bold.
Based in County Cork by way of Lincolnshire and Uttar Pradesh, Arun’s style is a sensory riot, rooted in family tradition, punk spirit and modern food smarts. He trained at the famed Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland in 2004, after years running club nights and managing a successful record label or two in London, discovering and promoting top talent while cooking his way through kitchens against a backdrop of late nights and loud beats. In 2007, armed with a coffee grinder, brown paper bags, and a big dream, he founded Green Saffron at Cork’s local farmers’ market. Today, Green Saffron supplies blue-chips, top chefs and restaurants across Ireland, the UK and Europe.
Arun’s philosophy is simple: Spices should sing. His blends are crafted to reveal spice at its freshest and most expressive, no shortcuts, no stale stuff, no generic jars. Just vibrant, sustainable, volatile-oil-rich masalas backed by full traceability and a mission to shake up the old spice trade.
He’s a regular on TV and radio, with past appearances across BBC1 (MasterChef, Pies & Puds with Paul Hollywood), Channel 4 (Sunday Brunch, Cookery School with Richard Corrigan), regularly RTÉ1 (The Today Show) and of old UKTV (Market Kitchen), and Virgin Media (The Six O’Clock Show). He’s written for food magazines and airlines, been a question-master on BBC Radio 2’s Midnight Mastermind, and is a respected guest voice on Ireland’s Newstalk FM, Red FM and RTÉ Radio 1.
His first book Fresh Spice (Pavilion UK, 2014) with US co-edition Wild Spice (Sterling Gourmet 2014) was a celebration of spice from root to plate. His forthcoming second book Jaldi Jaldi! The Punk Spice Manifesto (2026) explodes the idea that Indian food has to be slow or fussy. It’s poetic, irreverent and fast, a manifesto mashup of punk flavour wisdom, literary storytelling and 10-minute masala magic.
Arun is also Food Editor for the radical arts imprint Ars Notoria, where he writes a monthly column on cooking, culture and community. He has cooked at pop-ups from Delhi to Paris, London to Belfast and a few cheeky stops in between. A member of the UK’s Guild of Food Writers, he’s become a trusted culinary voice for those seeking instinctive, honest food with spice and soul.
“Well known in food circles but still ego-free, Arun is on the rise: flavour-first and letting the work speak loudest.”
