It’s been a while since I’ve blogged but it’s always been on the back of my mind. Since my daughter has gotten a bit older and a bit more independent it’s been easier these last few weeks to start appreciating the process of food again – that and it’s the holidays. I wanted to make some green tomato chutney from “Jams, Pickles and Chutneys: Best Kept Secrets of the Women’s Institute,” but realised that I didn’t have any mixed spice.
Luckily I have an excellent selection of herbs and spices, so rather than giving up I looked up what typical spices you would find in mixed spice and base it around that. I based it on this recipe from BBC Good Food with some tweaks, so I’ve posted my version here:
Dandelion Mind’s Mixed Spice Recipe
- 1 tbsp ground allspice
- 1 tbsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp ground mace
- 1/2 tbsp sweet cinnamon*
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon*
- 1 (small) tsp cloves
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground ginger
If there is a particular spice that you are not so fond of, then reduce it. Make it your own unique blend. Nutmeg and mace are quite similar, coming from different parts of the same plant so you may want to reduce these if you’re not a nutmeg-y fan. Conversely if there’s something you love why not add more! Also if you’re like me and only had whole cloves, do not, I repeat do not, be tempted to grind them yourself. My coffee grinder still smells of cloves 2 years on!
Basically give them a good mix together and store in an air tight container. Smells so good! It was perfect to add to my chutney.
I just happened to nip into The Range to get some storage for my bedroom cupboard and Kilner Jars and couldn’t help but get some more cute little spice jars.
*If you’re interested in the difference between ‘sweet cinnamon’ (Tesco, Cassia) and standard ‘cinnamon’ (Schwartz, Indonesian Cassia) read about the differences on TastingTable. Interestingly both the varieties I used are cassia yet the flavour is very different.
Hope you found this useful – leave a comment below if you have any suggestions!
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