What can I use instead of mace?

[janx]

Am making a nigella recipe - split pea soup and frankfurters and been to 4 shops already - no one sells mace...any ideas? I don't think I have ever used it

sainsburys usually stock it - but it's a little like cloves, more peppery though. Does the recipe call for other spices? If so I would just leave it out. I doubt you'll notice too much difference.

nutmeg.
mace is the outer shell of nutmeg.

is it really madlentileater? Well well, you learn something new every day.

I could imagine nutmeg would be a good substitute though.

Nigella loves mace though, so if you plan to cook other recipes from her books it's worth hunting some out.

look here - you could use nutmeg instead, with a dash more pepper.

Or perhaps allspice? Would probably work just as well.

I think mace has a slightly lighter taste than nutmeg. I've seen it in it's unground form, like yellowy orange strands, hard, that would fit around the actual nutmeg.

oo, that's not like the mace I've seen.

The mace I have is in little reddish shards, like bashed up tree bark. Will try to google a picture.

I've googled and it looks like you can get red and [http://www.deliaonline.com/Images/originals/mace-19506.jpg yellow]] mace, but the stuff I've seen in jars has always been kind of reddy brown, so maybe it goes brown when it dries or summat.

Oops, try again:

red and {[http://www.deliaonline.com/Images/originals/mace-19506.jpg yellow]] mace

Can't find a picture of the shards, they are obv not very photogenic!

here we have the product on sale though

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

yellow mace

dammit

yup, that's what I've seen.
I use it once a year, for christmas cake!