Vanilla

Vanilla comes from the pod fruit of the orchid planifolia (V. fragrens) and is indigenous to Mexico. First brought to Europe at the time of the Spanish Conquest in the early 16th century, the plant was studied by botanists for over two hundred years before they worked out how pollination takes place in the natural environment. Charles Darwin was one of those who spent many hours pondering ‘what strange creatures these orchids are’. The Belgian botanist, Charles Morren, finally cracked the technique of pollination in the 19th century, using a small paintbrush to hand-pollinate the first European Orchid. From Europe, the orchids were taken to Madagascar and Réunion, where they now flourish. We use Ndali vanilla from Uganda, which is the first Fairtrade vanilla in the world.