Down the cakehole: vanilla sprinkles

USUALLY you have to split a vanilla pod down the middle and scrape out the seeds — which is all very well if you have time to fiddle.

Now a new mini-tin of Ugandan organic vanilla powder (equivalent to six pods) has arrived in supermarkets, which means all you have to do when you head home to bake is sprinkle it into custard, cakes or biscuits. “Ndali vanilla is some of the best I have ever come across. The scent is rich and intense, and the flavour deep, long lasting and absolutely true,” says Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Ndali vanilla powder, £5.79 from Waitrose (ndali.net)

Latest from Down the Cakehole: