Sweet Spices

When you open a jar of Cardamom Pistachio Sugar, you smell the spice kitchens of India: warm, lingering aromas of bittersweet cardamom dressed in golden brown sugar and roasted pistachio nuts. Caramelise it on a crème brûlée, sprinkle over zabaglione or Greek yoghurt, or make an Indian praline.

Gingerbread Spice makes a sweet, spiced biscuit or cake enjoyed throughout the world. Germans appreciate it as lebkuchen; in France, pain d'épices; in Brazil, pão de mel; and in the UK, US and Australia, good old-fashioned gingerbread. A highly versatile blend, it also pairs well with chocolate, smoothies and savoury dishes like roast pumpkin.

Flavour Notes: Warmly spiced, intense, aromatic

Cuisine: German

Heat Level: 0/5

Open a jar of our Cinnamon and once you smell the difference, you’ll realise that not all cinnamon is the same.
Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum - literally 'true cinnamon') is grown in Sri Lanka and has a sweeter, more floral and delicate character than anything you've likely used before. Our A Grade is the finest tier available, with a high essential oil content and an exceptional fragrance straight from the jar.
Subtly sweet and woody, cinnamon imparts a delicate warmth that melds and harmonises other flavours. It is beautiful used in baking, porridge and warm drinks, or added to savoury Moroccan and Indian dishes such as tagines and curries for a subtle, aromatic sweetness.

Feel Good Hot Chocolate has been expertly crafted from a balanced blend of pure double Dutch cocoa, toasty Australian wattleseed, açaí berry, Victorian sea salt, cassia and unrefined low GI coconut sugar. It's one of our very favourite ways to enjoy chocolate and feel good.

Flavour Notes: Chocolatey, slightly sweet, warmly spiced

Cuisine: European

Heat Level: 0/5

This light, fragrant spice adds a wonderful depth to apple cake, and can replace mixed spice in many recipes. The inclusion of rose petal and calming chamomile add to the blend's delicacy. Add it to the fruit filling or directly into the dough. Not to be dismissed in savoury dishes: try in broths, on roasted cauliflower and in rice dishes alongside cardamom and lemon rind.

Flavour Notes: Floral, complex, warming, delicately spiced

Cuisine: German

Heat Level: 0/5

The crunchy, golden biscuits made with spekulaas spice in the Netherlands and neighbouring countries for St Nicholas Day on the 5th/6th of December are traditionally shaped using hand-carved wooden moulds before baking. Saint Nicholas was known for his secret gift giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of his faithful. He is remembered to this day when spekulaas biscuits are baked.

Flavour Notes: Warmly spiced, aromatic, festive

Cuisine: Dutch

Heat Level: 0/5

Known as mulled wine in English, Glühwein is winter magic in a glass; warming hands and souls during Germany's coldest months. Our Glühwein Gewürz is made with traditional mulling spices including wild hibiscus for ruby colour, cinnamon and clove for warmth, with star anise and orange peel for fragrance. Perfect for mulled wine, stewed winter fruit, as well as grown-up and kids' punch. First time making Glühwein? Try our Glühwein Spice Kit for everything you need in one go.

Flavour Notes: Warmly spiced, citrus-edged, lightly floral

Cuisine: German

Heat Level: 0/5

Masala chai, literally ‘mixed-spice tea’, is thought to have originated in an ancient Indian royal court for the king’s ayurvedic healing. Our richly aromatic tea-free blend balances sweet, woody spices with the brightness of cardamom and lingering warmth of ginger and pepper.

Uncaffeinated and restorative, it may be added to any milk of choice, with or without tea. Even better, use it to create luxurious sweets and desserts that will echo majestically through the ages.

Flavour Notes: Warmly spiced, woody, aromatic, slightly sweet

Cuisine: Indian

Heat Level: 0/5

Chocolate Spice uses Double Dutch cocoa and fragrant winter spices of ginger, clove and nutmeg to give warmth to baked goods, cookies and hot chocolate. Simply substitute Chocolate Spice for some of the cocoa in any chocolate-flavoured recipe. It's delicious when used to spice up chocolate cakes, cream fillings or added to your morning coffee for a spiced mocha.

Flavour Notes: Warmly spiced, rich, fragrant

Cuisine: Dutch

Heat Level: 0/5

Our Vanilla Bean Sugar uses only the fine seeds from Madagascan vanilla, which are hand-stripped out of each pod. Vanilla bean is the dried and cured seed pod of a tropical South American climbing orchid and it takes up to three months to get market ready.

This sugar also pairs well with pork and, of course, with anything containing chocolate. Great for baking and compotes, simply use in place of normal sugar.

Flavour Notes: Sweet, fragrant, floral

Cuisine: Madagascan

Heat Level: 0/5

Double Dutch Cocoa is milder in flavour compared to ordinary cocoa and is ideal for hot chocolate, baking and ice cream. Its dark colour, smooth flavour and low fat content make it a perfect substitute for regular chocolate in cooking. With a neutral pH level, it does not react adversely with baking soda.

This tuberous rhizome has been travelling across oceans since Chinese navigators began growing it in planter boxes onboard their vessels. Versatile and well represented in many cuisines, ginger in its powdered form can be added to stir-fry dishes, noodles and rice, sauces and marinades.

The Mayans began mixing cocoa with ground chilli and spices as early as AD 460, when they discovered the fantastic taste and health benefits of Mayan Chilli Chocolate. Rich, earthy and chocolatey with a slow-building heat that lingers rather than shouts. This blend is at home in both sweet and savoury dishes, from grown-up chocolate desserts to rich sauces and traditional Mexican moles.

Flavour Notes: Rich, slow-building heat, earthy, chocolatey

Cuisine: Guatemalan

Heat Level: 3/5

This spice will find its way into all your baking, when used with the natural sweetness, smoothness and binding ability of the humble pumpkin. Add to traditionally sugar-heavy goodies and cut out some of the sugar; it also works a treat with granola, nut bars and smoothies, partnering well with coconut and dairy-based dishes. The spice also complements savoury dishes, such as pumpkin gnocchi or zucchini fritters. Of course, it makes the great American Pumpkin Pie.

Flavour Notes: Warmly spiced, woody, slightly sweet

Cuisine: American

Heat Level: 0/5

Cassia - also known as Dutch cinnamon or baker's cinnamon - is bolder than true cinnamon. Cassia's sweet and spicy fragrance and flavour is more intense than that of cinnamon. Its slight bitterness makes it distinctly different from cinnamon and gives its sweetness depth. Cassia is delicious in more robust sweet dishes such as fruit cakes, strudels, compotes and crumbles. It is often used in curries and stews for a balancing sweetness.

Bearing the heady fragrance of liquorice, star anise is used in the East as aniseed is in the West. It is one of the ingredients in Chinese five spice, and Chinese stocks and soups very often contain star anise, as do many other traditional Chinese dishes. With a deeper perfume and sweetness than fennel or aniseed, the flavour of star anise pairs exceptionally well with pork and duck. In Europe, star anise is added to fruit compotes and jams, as well as anisette liqueurs.