The price is comparable at $7.00 which is quite good actually as that’s a saving of $2.01 which helps a little bit if you have a fiscal imperative to save the spondoolies

Where do you go when you need a beautiful table ornament made out of gold paint-sprayed pine cones, holly and twigs? A fetching turquoise blue glass jar? A plaid cushion that you’re proud to show guests?

You got it — HomeSense!

Where do you go when you need a vindaloo sauce?

You got it — er, HomeSense?

Yes, trust us. We were surprised too when we stumbled across this product when browsing for home furnishings. At only $4.99 for a large packet, we had to give it a go.

It’s a sauce inside, but be careful not to get it on you as it’s pretty oily. Maybe it was Ghee, a staple of British-style curries back home.

But what set this product apart was the little extra bags of spices that came with it. A bit like those crisps that came with a little blue salt bag back in the day, the diner of this product can choose their spice level. It’s not just culinary democracy — it makes the whole prep time a fun experience too.

This one had a bay leaf, some chili powder, vindaloo spice mix and that little twig thing that you forget about until you crunch it and it goes between your top back teeth and into your gums. We didn’t use that one.

Taste? Very authentic for a shop-sold product. Nicely rich and flavourful. Throw some chicken in there, onions, tomatoes, peppers and minced ginger/garlic and you have a decent curry. It also freezes well for re-heating.

All in all, very impressive … and we give it a Brits in Toronto 5/5 stars.