Kokova Magazine

Christmas is a great time for cinnamon but many people forget this little bark spice for the rest of the year. Consider the benefits of having cinnamon on the table all year round - nestled beside the salt and pepper as an added condiment to breakfast, lunch or dinner.

With an Original Cinnamon Lovers Pack from Cinnamon Hill you can have fresh ground cinnamon everyday and when we received a pack we were delighted to give this a try and replace our ready-ground jar with some fresh cinnamon sticks.

Not all cinnamon is the same, as we were soon to discover. Personally it is spice I can either take or leave, being a bit too aromatic and harsh on taste; it always smelled slightly 'wrong' and the flavour didn't recreate the atmosphere that all the advertising would portray of a warm and Christmas-sy scene.

So it was with a healthy helping of surprise to open firstly the Ceylon and then the Saigon cinnamon boxes to find no aroma present. This is because the five sticks in each pack are separately sealed within their boxes, and if the aroma can't get out then you can be sure that you are not losing any flavour.

With each box at their tastiest within six months of harvest this is a sure way to preserve your cinnamon until you need it.

On opening a Saigon stick we could immediately smell the difference between this and the grounds we currently use. A much lighter, cleaner aroma, yet sweet and aromatic. It was fairly easy to grate a little into a fine powder that tasted as good as it smelt. If all cinnamon tasted like this we would use it more.

We continued to ground a whole stick (this does take some time) and used a couple of teaspoons in a recipe for Cinnamon Rings, storing the remainder in an airtight container for future use. In total we claimed approximately four teaspoons of cinnamon from one stick.

The aroma from the cinnamon in the hot dough was incredibly pleasant - still managing to remain light and fresh throughout - and the buns were consumed before they had a chance to cool.

The second selection in the pack, Ceylon, carried barely an aroma when opened compared to the more familiar Saigon but as soon as we began to grate we were met with citrus notes and a much more fragrant aroma. We found this worked well in an apple crumble because it balanced with the sweetness of the apple (we tend to cook with sweet eating apples to reduce the need for adding too much refined sugar).

Ceylon cinnamon is true cinnamon, with a subtle, citrus taste. It is grown as a bush in areas such as the Weligama region of southern Sri Lanka whereas Saigon cinnamon is a cassia cinnamon with a hotter, sweeter taste. It is grown as a tree in areas such as the Yen Bai province of northern Vietnam.

Cinnamon has more uses than for simply adding to cooking. You can top your latte with a sprinkling instead of cocoa powder, add a stick to rice as you boil it to add a subtle flavour, grate it onto your breakfast or evening meal and, of course, use it to make your mulled wine at Christmas.

The delightful little grater and cup that came as part of the set make an attractive addition to the table and are the perfect way to store the cinnamon while keeping it to hand to use. The grater is easy to clean - simply turn and tap or brush; no need to wash.

Prior to using sticks we would opt for ready grounds if a recipe called for cinnamon, more for ease and convenience but after discovering the difference in flavour and aroma from using it fresh from the stick we will be adding this charming little pot and grater to our dining table. And if you find you want to freshen the air simply grate a small amount into the pot while you are cooking, to keep your warm kitchen smelling sweet all winter long.

The beautifully presented Cinnamon Lovers Pack comes with a packet each of Ceylon and Saigon cinnamon included which makes it an ideal present for Cinnamon Lovers.

Cinnamon is renowned for its culinary uses but this odd little stick of inner bark adds so much more than just a touch of flavour to your meal, having many health and dietary benefits too, including reducing blood-sugar levels (particularly good for class two diabetics) and lowering bad cholesterol.

Other reported health benefits of cinnamon are:

• Anti-clotting effect on the blood
• Relieves pain in arthritis sufferers
• Boosts the body’s immune system
• Stops medication-resistant yeast infections
• Helps in relieving indigestion
• Reduces the proliferation of leukaemia and lymphoma cancer cells
• Preserves food by inhibiting bacterial growth and food spoilage
• Is a great source of vital nutrients, including calcium, fibre, managanese and iron
• Boosts cognitive function and memory when smelt
• Is anti-inflammatory in the body

For more information and to order yours today visit https://cinnamonhill.com