Gifts for Bakers: Cinnamon, Orange Zest, Ginger and Rose Spice Drops

In short: A good gift for a keen baker is a new flavour to experiment with. The Baking Spices Collection holds four award winning Spice Drops, Cinnamon, Orange Zest, Ginger and Rose, that mix evenly into batters, creams and icings with no zesting or grating. Each 5ml bottle holds around 150 drops and keeps for up to three years.

Keen bakers usually own every tin and gadget already. What they love is a new flavour to try. The Baking Spices Collection gives them four, in liquid form, so the flavour spreads evenly through batters, creams and icings with no zesting, grating or bits of peel.

What is in the Baking Spices Collection?

• Cinnamon Spice Drops, 5ml (Great Taste 2015, two stars)
• Orange Zest Spice Drops, 5ml (Great Taste 2016, two stars)
• Ginger Spice Drops, 5ml
• Rose Spice Drops, 5ml (Great Taste 2015, one star)

How do you use Spice Drops in baking?

Add the drops to the wet ingredients, buttercream or icing and mix well, then taste and adjust before baking. Because the flavour is concentrated, a few drops replace a spoonful of ground spice or the zest of a whole fruit. Every bottle comes with its own dropper.

How much should you use?

These ratios come from our product pages. Start with them, taste, then add more if you like.

What can you make with it?

• Rose in buttercream or a Victoria sponge.
• Ginger in gingerbread biscuits.
• Orange Zest in a drizzle cake or shortbread.
• Cinnamon in cinnamon buns, apple crumble and porridge.
• Rose and Orange Zest together in a celebration cake.

Why are Spice Drops a good gift for a baker?

Each 5ml bottle holds around 150 drops and keeps for up to three years when stored in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight, so the set will not be finished or stale within a few weeks. Spice Drops are made by Holy Lama in Kerala, India, where more than 80% of our workforce is women, and the range won best new ingredient at the World Food Innovation Awards 2015.

Spice Drops contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and are oxalate free. They are vegan, gluten free and alcohol free, and contain a plant derived emulsifier, polysorbate 80, which helps them mix into food and drink.

How are Spice Drops made?

Spice Drops are made at our own factory in Kerala, India, by a family business that dates back to 1946. The spices are crushed in a hammer mill or under a roller without heat, then extracted, and the solvent is removed under vacuum. For some flavours the distilled oil of the same spice is added back. Leafy herbs such as Mint are distilled essential oil only. The result is real spice flavour: the natural compounds that give each spice its taste and aroma are still there, such as piperine, which gives black pepper its heat.

How can you make it a bigger gift?

• Add our Christmas Spices Collection for festive baking and mulled drinks.
• Add our handmade gift wrap, a fabric scarf they can keep, for £2.50.
• See every set in our Spice Drops gift collections, or read our guide to Spice Drops gift sets for every food lover.

Ordering for Christmas? Check our Delivery page for the last order dates.

Shop the Baking Spices Collection.