Cloves was one of the earliest spices to reach Europe and is prized for its strong, sweet, aromatic flavour. It is particularly well suited to flavour pork or ham dishes and is also used with stewed or baked fruit. Remove before serving.

The sweet, aromatic flavour of nutmeg has been highly prized since Roman times and together with pepper, ginger and cinnamon was one of the principle commodities of the early spice trade. Nutmeg is widely used in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian cooking. It is used in baking and to flavour milk based desserts and sauces as well as in savoury dishes. It is usually used finely ground and occasionally in a kibbled form.