Many are fond of a bit of spice (5)
I believe the answer is:
clove
'a bit of spice' is the definition.
'clove' can be an answer for 'spice' (clove is a kind of spice). I am not certain of the 'a bit of' bit.
'many are fond' is the wordplay.
'many' becomes 'c' (C is the Roman numeral for l00).
'are fond' becomes 'love' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'c'+'love'='CLOVE'
'of' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for clove that I've seen before include "Pungent spice" , "Dried flower bud spice" , "A small bulb as of garlic" , "Cut" , "Split; spice" .)