Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, after saffron, a result of its long and labour intensive cultivation. Parts of the orchid family, vanilla beans are hand- pollinated on family farms. Each flower opens ’ for only one part of a day during the season, if it is not pollinated on that day, no pod is produced.

Once picked, the curing process, which involves drying the beans in the sun by day and allowing them to sweat in a box at night takes three to six months. The main producers of food grade vanilla, known as black vanilla because of the colour of the dried pods, are Madagascan, followed by Mexico and Tahiti. Vanilla from each country has its own distinctive characteristics but it is Madagascan vanilla that produces the creamy, sweet flavour beloved of Britons.

One can get vanilla extract all over the world but Madagascan vanilla is chosen because it has the greatest depth of flavour. There are three main commercial preparations of whole beans, powder and extract Extract is sold by the ‘fold’ – a unit that denotes the weight of vanilla beans per gallon. Silver Spoon, which distributes the American Nielsen-Massey vanilla brand in the U.K., said:

“The market price of vanilla has risen over the past 12 months and sharply over the last 12 weeks. This has been driven largely by a poor quality harvest in Madagascar. Soaring prices will hurt companies that use the ingredient in everything from soft drinks to cakes and perfumes But the pain will be felt most acutely by ice-cream makers, as it is the most expensive ingredient in the production process and some will be forced to pass on the increased cost to consumers.

When prices are high, market experts say, farmers are tempted to pick beans early. That leads to a less intense flavour, compounding problems in the market The high-value crop is also a target for criminals. There are reports that vanilla farmers in Madagascar harvested their 2015 crop prematurely, in fear of losing their production to thieves.

This, coupled with inadequate drying in order to increase profits from their crop has led to lower quality vanilla. The combination of high prices and poor quality means some manufacturers are turning to synthetic alternatives But many food brands are not open to using artificial flavourings.

Vanilla is every ice-cream company’s biggest- selling product You can bring out a niche flavour but vanilla will still be on top. You’ve just got to take the hit on it because customers would notice the difference.