Vanilla is perhaps best known as the world's favourite ice-cream flavour. But next to saffron, it is the mostÌýcostly spice on earth. Historically it is said to fetch its weight in silver.
It's also the world's most labour-intensive crop. As a result, the vanilla trade has become a lucrative and incredibly shady business, with producers employing armed guards and workers being killed for a few kilos of the substance.
Jenni is joined by Tim EcottÌýwho'sÌýtravelled theÌýworld seeking out vanilla's rich history, and by Rose Elliot, who'll be makingÌýher easy realÌývanilla ice-cream.
Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Luscious Substance by Tim Ecott is publishedÌýbyÌýMichael Joseph, ISBN 0718145895
Mediterranean Feast by Rose Elliot, Little Books, ISBN 1904435335
