It might be full on summer in the Netherlands but the first kruidnoten, the tiny spicey biscuits associated with the December Sinterklaas festivities, are already appearing in the shops.

The Telegraaf reports on Thursday that a branch of the Co-op supermarket chain in Ten Boer in Groningen province, has been selling the biscuits since last Friday, and 200 packets have already been snapped up.

‘There is demand, so we are selling them,’ spokesman Sander Bogema told the paper. ‘This is the ideal temperature. They don’t melt and they don’t get sticky.’

Bogema told the paper he expects kruidnoten to go the same way as speculaas, another traditional December biscuit now available all year round.

Although kruidnoten and pepernoten are often said to be the same thing, according to kitchen purists, kruidnoten are made with cinammon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cardamon, while pepernoten are chewier, not round and flavoured with aniseed.