I'm bored with my standard meals so I was inspired to do a Nigel Slater thing in last Sunday's Observer (courgette cake) because I have a glut of courgettes and an unopened packet of nigella seeds lurking in the back of the cupboard.
I followed the recipe slavishly as I always do, because I'm not at all an instinctive cook. By the time I'd grated 400g of potatoes and 350g of courgettes, and later squeezed it all, I was beginning to think it wasn't worth the effort.
It came out looking good, but tasted a bit weird - I can only describe it as slightly stale. All my other ingredients were fresh, but when I looked at the nigella seed packet it said "best by end 2013". I would've thought seeds lasted forever in a sealed pack, but maybe not.
Luckily I'd served it with crispy pancetta and a big salad, so it wasn't a disaster but not something I plan to do again. But I am curious - do you experienced cooks think the "off" taste was the seeds?