A quiet jar of allspice berries

For the stew I opened allspice — round dark berries that smell at once of cinnamon and clove. I forgot the packet by the hob: in the morning it already smelled of paper. I tip the berries into a small dry jar to a lid click and put it in a cool cupboard where kettle steam does not reach.

A quiet jar of allspice berries. Sharp clove buds, star-anise stars, green cardamom for tea and a fresh grind from the mill are other shelves. Here Jamaican berries go whole into stew, marinade and baked apples; I don’t open ground “gingerbread mix” from the aisle.

A bitter oily berry I lift with my fingers and bin. Into the pot I toss two or three whole; I don’t fetch the pestle ahead. I’m not comparing a “more fragrant” neighbour on the rack — only the open packet at ours.

I don’t need flat allspice by hob heat. I need a jar from which a stew smells of a whole berry again. In your kitchen do the berries live in a jar in the cool — or does the packet still sit by the burners?