For a pastry kitchen, an ice cream maker or a restaurant that splits vanilla pods every day, a tin of around 125 makes more sense than buying a handful at a time. Our Gourmet Madagascan Vanilla Pods are Bourbon vanilla from the SAVA region on Madagascar's north-east coast, sorted into bundles of the same length and packed 500g to a tin.

They are long, whole, black pods with a bright look, cured in the traditional way: scalded, sweated, dried in the sun and then in the shade, sorted and left to mature.

What Are Gourmet Vanilla Pods? 

Gourmet is the grade name for whole black vanilla pods meant for cooking, the kind used day in, day out by restaurants, hotels and bakeries. Bourbon is the protected name for vanilla from the Indian Ocean islands, which include Madagascar. Their vanillin runs at 1.5 to 2.4%.

How to Use Gourmet Vanilla Pods

Take out what you need for the day and slit each pod from end to end with a sharp knife. Scrape the seeds into warm milk, cream or sugar syrup, add the pod as well and let everything steep while the liquid cools. With a whole tin to hand, a big batch of vanilla syrup for the coffee bar or a large pan of crème anglaise for service is easy to make. Keep the tin closed at a steady room temperature, away from anything strongly scented.

Pairings and Ideas

Gourmet vanilla goes with cream, dark chocolate, coffee, rum, apricots and toasted nuts.

• Vanilla crème anglaise for service
• Vanilla syrup for lattes
• Apricot and vanilla tarte tatin
• Vanilla custard slices
• Dark chocolate and vanilla mousse
• Rum and vanilla baked cheesecake

This item is a 'To order' item. Once ordered, it cannot be cancelled; please see our terms and conditions.