Recipe | Cherry Gazpacho with Tarragon Oil & Borage Flowers

Cherries and tarragon are a magical combination you might not have tried. You can try whizzing in other herbs, too – fennel, lemon balm and mint are all great with tarragon

SERVES 4

500g cherries, pitted
1 large (or 2 small) cucumber, peeled and sliced
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled
Handful of fresh tarragon
200-300ml cold herbal tea (lemon verbena and/or mint works a treat)
1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (alternatively, use kombucha)
Light rapeseed or olive oil, to serve
Tarragon and borage flowers, to garnish

1 Blend the cherries with the cucumber, garlic (start with 1 clove), tarragon, tea and vinegar (or kombucha). Taste and add more garlic and herbs, if needed. Season with a good hit of black pepper.

2 Serve with a good trickle of oil (or blend the oil in if you’d prefer, before serving) – I garnish the soup with oil but I’m generous with it! Finish with a scattering of tarragon and borage. Cook’s note: This will keep nicely in the fridge for a week.

This is one of the recipes from our June issue’s Home Economics feature, which focuses on herbs this month. Pick up a copy of the issue to read the other recipes, which include Herby Tzatziki, Mackerel, Gooseberry & Coriander Ceviche, Courgette & Dill Babaganoush, Tomato Salad with Sage Butter, Za’atar Flatbreads, Herb Shortbread and an Oxymel Herbal Tonic. The recipes are by Rachel de Thample and the photography is by Ali Allen.

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Tipple | Lemon Basil Spritzer

A refreshing drink for warm garden days

Serves 6

240g granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon, peeled into strips
3 large lemon basil leaves (sweet basil works, too), plus more to garnish
750ml bottle dry sparkling wine, chilled

1 In a small pan, gently heat the sugar and 250ml water until the sugar has dissolved. Add half the lemon zest strips and the three basil leaves, cover and set aside to steep for 30 mins.

2 Pour the mixture through a coffee filter, keeping the liquid and discarding the peel/leaves. Allow to cool for 1 hr.

3 In a large jug, combine the syrup with the sparkling wine and stir.

4 Fill six glasses with ice and pour over the spritzer. Garnish with basil leaves and lemon zest twists.

This idea is from our regular ‘Pick and Mix’ series on growing and eating flowers and herbs. This month we’re using lavender and basil and Lottie Storey has recipes for Fig Toast with Whipped Honey and Lavender Labne, Rosemary, Basil and Za’atar Aubergines and a Lavender and Honey Cheesecake.

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Food matching | Rosemary

A list of things to put with rosemary that aren’t lamb

If you have a rosemary bush going wild right now you won’t want to miss our Herbery feature in our May issue, by Lia Leendertz, in which she shares three very different recipes with rosemary and gives advice on which herbs to plant in your garden. 

We were pleased to see lots of ideas we hadn’t thought of for rosemary recipes - it’s too good a herb to wait in the wings to be shown the occasional leg of lamb, after all. So here’s a list of a few more foods that love rosemary. Mix and match them as you wish:

• Almonds

• Anchovy

• Apricot

• Aubergines

• Bacon

• Brussels sprouts

• Butter

• Butternut squash

• Chestnuts

• Chicken

• Chocolate

• Citrus fruits

• Courgettes

• Gin

• Goat’s cheese

• Honey

• Mushrooms

• Oily fish

• Olives

• Onions

• Parmesan

• Parsnips

• Peas

• Potatoes

• Prawns

• Rhubarb

• Strawberries

• Sweet potato

• Watermelon

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Make | proudly homemade teabags

Make a brew your own by creating your own teabags, filled with fresh herbs and flowers from your garden or whichever dried things you fancy

Our special May ‘scrapbook’ issue has the title ‘Inspire’ and you’ll find hundreds of things in it that we hope will inspire you. Among them is our Crafternoons feature showcasing lots of lovely projects skills you might not have tried before but can easily be achieved or learned in an afternoon. 

The homemade teabags pictured above are by Hackney Herbal, and they tell you all about how to make your own in a crafternoon in the issue. Theirs are made using dried herbs but we’re going to have a go at making them with fresh things from our gardens. You might try lavender, mint, lemon balm or rosemary. See what’s looking perky and might perk up a brew in your kitchen.

Here are some simple instructions from Hackney Herbal on how to get started. You can read the rest of the feature in our scrapbook-style Inspire issue in shops now - or buy it direct from us. 

You will need

Unbleached muslin fabric (try  souschef.co.uk or johnlewis.com),  or you could buy readymade self-fill tea bags from dotboutique.co.uk Cotton thread 1 tsp of dried herbs 

1 Cut unbleached muslin fabric into squares roughly measuring 10x10cm. 

2 Choose between 2 to 4 dried herbs to mix and place in the middle of  the square. You will need about a teaspoon of dried herbs in total.  

3 Gather the corners of the square together and tie the teabag up  using cotton thread. 

4 Infuse in hot water for five minutes and drink. You can empty out the spent herbs and re-use the muslin again after rinsing it.

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Make | Herbal tea bags

A soothing cuppa is in the bag, when you make your own. The appeal of this project goes beyond having something nice to sip: the touch and smell of choosing your herbs, even before the tastebuds kick in, make it a real sensory experience – something to savour.

Herbal tea bags

You will need:
Unbleached muslin fabric (try souschef.co.uk or johnlewis.com), or you could buy readymade self-fill tea bags from dotboutique.store)
Cotton thread
1 tsp of dried herbs

1 Cut unbleached muslin fabric into squares roughly measuring 10x10cm.
2 Choose between 2 to 4 dried herbs to mix and place in the middle of the square. You need about a teaspoon in total.
3 Gather the corners of the square together and tie the teabag up using cotton thread.
4 Infuse in hot water for five minutes and drink. You can empty out the spent herbs and re-use the muslin again after rinsing it.
         

SOME BLENDS TO TRY

• Rosemary, peppermint & nettle An uplifting blend to aid focus and concentration.

• Echinacea, yarrow & sage A restorative blend to sip when you have a sore throat or cold.

• Lemon verbena, rose & skullcap A relaxing combination to enjoy before bed.

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Recipe | Bay and lemon wrapped salmon

Fish baked with lemon and bay makes a simple supper

Use bay to protect delicate salmon from the heat of the oven, and to infuse it with its fragrant notes.

Serves 2
2 salmon steaks
2 bay leaves
1–2 lemons, thinly sliced (you’ll need 8 slices)

Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/ 400F. Lay each piece of salmon on a piece of baking parchment, around 25cm square. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then lay on bay leaves and lemon slices alternately and drizzle with a little olive oil. Fold the paper around each piece of fish and tie with string, then place on a baking tray and bake for 25 mins. Serve hot alongside a salad or with salad potatoes and green veg.

Turn to page 37 of January's The Simple Things for more bay recipes. 

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Recipe | Apple & fennel granita with fennel shortbread

Gentle hints of aniseed in both the shortbread and apple granita show off fennel at its grown-up best

Apple & fennel granita with fennel shortbread

Fennel is just as comfortable in sweet settings as it is in savoury, and its aniseed flavour adds a sophisticated note to this grown-up dessert.

Makes 12 servings/biscuits
700ml cloudy apple juice
Juice of lemon
100g granulated sugar
1 head (or 2 tbsp) fennel seeds for the shortbread
150g soft salted butter
70g golden caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling
150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
70g rice flour
2 tbsp fennel seeds

Cook’s note: The granita is easy to make, but you should ideally make the liquid and leave it to cool the day before you’re going to turn it into granita. Freeze early on a day when you’ll be in the kitchen a lot, as it needs a little attention periodically.

1 Pour the juices and sugar into a saucepan and gently heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the fennel seeds and bring to the boil, then simmer for a few mins. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. 
2 Sieve into a plastic container with a lid and transfer to the freezer. Set a timer for two hours, then remove from the freezer and use a fork to break up the frozen edges and stir them into the centre.
3 Set a timer to repeat hourly, breaking up the ice crystals each time, shortening the timer to every half hour once it really starts to freeze. The more times you do this, the more snowy it will become, but even a few stirs will create a good result.
4 To make the shortbread, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then add the flours, fennel seeds, and a pinch of salt. Mix together roughly, then use your hands to bring the mixture into a dough.
5 Roll out onto a floured surface, cut into rounds, and place onto a baking sheet covered with baking parchment. Prick all over with a fork, then chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
6 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Take the shortbread out of the fridge and sprinkle over 2 tbsp caster sugar. Bake for 20–25 mins until the colour of pale straw, then remove from the oven and leave to cool, transferring to a rack when they have hardened a little. Serve a small bowl of granita with a shortbread biscuit.

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Think: Discover your dosha

In September's The Simple Things we meet Sebastian Pole, herbalist, tea-maker and co-founder of Pukka who turned his fascination with herbs into one of the biggest do-you-good cuppa brands, learning a few life lessons along the way. Read the interview on page 32. 

Try Pukka’s quiz to discover your dosha, designed to help you understand more about yourself, what’s good for you and what’s not. It's an amazing way to find out more about who you are and provides tips for your own personal health and happiness – including ways in which you can sleep better.

The theory behind the quiz comes from ancient wisdom that has passed down for centuries in India, through a system known as Ayurveda, which actually means ‘the art of living wisely’.

To start you have to find out what your ‘dosha’ or body-mind type is, you’ll then be able to know what helps you thrive the most; what foods to eat, what exercises are best for you and what relationship types of other body/mind types suit you best. It even gives an insight into how each different type typically responds to the need for sleep. In essence, it brings you special insight about your health, informing your choices and decisions that you make everyday.

Following the wisdom of Ayurveda there are said to be three constitutional types; “wind (vata), fire (pitta) and water (kapha). They destroy or maintain the body, according to whether they are sick or healthy.”

We all want to be healthy so that we have the best chance to enjoy and fulfil our potential in life. But excellent health seems to be such a complicated subject that it is not always easy to know how to achieve this holy grail. Although at first it might appear an alien concept, understanding your constitutional dosha goes a long way in helping you to realise your perfect health.

In Ayurveda your personal constitution is known as prakriti, which means ‘nature’, as in your inherent genetic type. Ayurveda teaches us how to find out what our constitution is by observing who we are and how we feel. And this lesson is a very simple and enriching one. As you learn what your real nature is you can live a truly authentic life – a life that suits you and allows your health to flourish.

This quiz will give you an example of your current state of health. The result you get after the test gives you an idea about how balanced your health is at the moment. You will probably be a mix of each of the dosha but it is likely that one will dominate. You have to be something. Each of the dosha have some advantages and some disadvantages. By following the recommendations appropriate for your constitution, Ayurveda can help you fulfill your potential and to be really comfortable in who you are.

So, if you feel inspired, run through the quiz questions to determine your Ayurvedic constitution...and Pukka will send you some life-changing insights every now and then that will add clarity and colour to your life.

To discover your dosha, head to the Pukka site to take the quiz...

More from the September issue:

More Wisdom posts:

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The Herbery: A grower's guide

In a new series, Lia Leendertz picks herbs from her garden to cook in her kitchen. Could it be simpler? To begin, try these unusual ways with herbs:

• Plucking the leaves and chopping them into food is not the only way you can use herbs: when you grow your own, other possibilities open up.
• Many herbs have edible flowers that taste like a slightly honeyed version of the leaf. Basil, oregano and thyme flowers are all ambiguous enough to use as garnishes for sweet or savoury food, and chive, dill and sage flowers are beautiful scattered over savoury dishes and salads.
• Make use of seeds, particularly in their young and green stages, when they are like nothing you will ever be able to buy. Green coriander seeds in particular are pungent little flavour bombs and green fennel seeds are sweet, crunchy and aniseedy.
• Buy a packet of seeds (or, even better, collect your own) and you can sow them thickly and harvest within a week or so as micro leaves, to provide little punchy and flavourful garnishes. Basil, dill, chervil, fennel and chive all make excellent micro greens.

Turn to page 33 of March’s The Simple Things for more advice on what to grow and where.

More from the March issue:

More gardening ideas:

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Pukkapedia: Herbs to help rebalance

Many of us take the new year as a cue to give our bodies an MOT, with rebalancing what we eat as good a place as any to start. Nature’s medicine cabinet contains many cleansing plants.

Fennel, a key ingredient of Pukka’s Detox tea, is great for easing nausea and indigestion and can help to reduce the other physical effects of alcohol. A warm cup of fennel tea will help to relieve digestive ailments, making it a handy hangover tonic and a gentle cleanser.

Marvellous matcha
Matcha is made from a special type of powdered green tea. It’s packed full of antioxidants which help to fight free radicals built up by pollution, exposure to alcohol and those not-so-healthy party foods. Sip this tea, perhaps with a squeeze of lemon, the next time you feel the need to rebalance your body. Or try Pukka’s Clean Matcha Green.

Turn to page 15 of January’s The Simple Things for more rebalancing herbs, including Mint, Ginger, Rosemary, Chamomile, Parsley and Turmeric.

More from the January issue:

More Pukkapedia posts:

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Sponsored post: Pukkapedia - Pukka's herbal encyclopedia

Turn to page 49 of October's The Simple Things for your free sample of Pukka tea. Put the kettle on, brew up and read on to discover why its ingredients are so beneficial. 

IMMUNITY

Autumn glow

This season is a good time to consider how herbs can play a role in our wellbeing. More people use antibiotics at this time of year, as they’re commonly prescribed for upper respiratory tract infections, even though most coughs and flus are caused by viruses. But there are simple, natural solutions.

Purple magic

Elderberries are the autumnal fruit of the elderflower. They’re full of anti-viral, anti-inflammatory constituents including vitamin C, anthocyanins, lignans and flavonoids. Research shows that this humble hedgerow plant can deactivate 10 strains of flu virus as well as hasten recovery time.

As a syrup, its soothing qualities help calm irritated mucous membranes and coughs. Elderberry’s anti- spasmodic, airway-clearing properties ease painful spasms whilst gently clearing catarrh from the respiratory tract and sinuses. Pukka’s Elderberry Syrup is made from concentrated juice of elderberry with 10 other herbs. One daily dose supplies 12,000mg.

Other herbal heroes

Try these powerful herbs, teas and remedies next time you feel a chill.

Ginger: Grate some fresh ginger into a mug of hot water and lemon. Or sip Pukka’s Lemon, Ginger and Manuka Honey tea as soon as you feel a cold coming on.

Trikatu: This mix of ginger, black pepper and long pepper helps to blow away the cold. Mix half a teaspoon with honey to sweeten it or add to your favourite herbal tea. 

Andrographis: A great all-round winter boost. Take two capsules twice a day. 

Echinacea: This popular flower can help maintain the immune system. Try Pukka’s warming Elderberry and Echinacea tea.

Discover more about Pukka’s incredible organic herbs at pukkaherbs.com

GLOSSARY

Antibiotic
A substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of microorganisms, especially bacteria. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses. Common antibiotics include penicillin and erythromycin.

Lignans
Chemical compounds found in plants that have antioxidant (stopping damage from free radicals) properties.

Anti-inflammatory
A substance that reduces signs of inflammation or swelling

More from the October issue:

Read natural skincare posts:

Make: Rosemary water

A delicious  flavouring for foods, and a great tonic for hair and skin

MAKES: 300ml
KEEPS: 2 years
INGREDIENTS:
150g dried rosemary (300g fresh) 
2.5 litres water

METHOD:
1 Put everything in a pressure cooker near the sink. Close lid and remove pressure regulator to expose the vent pipe.
2 Connect a hose to the vent pipe. Pass the hose beneath the water tap and then on and into a glass collecting bottle.
3 Turn the heat to high. When water boils, open tap to let cold water cool the hose.
4 The distillation process should be slow with minimum heat. Simmer on low until you have distilled 300ml of water – in a household pressure cooker, this should take around 30-45 mins.

Found in The Domestic Alchemist: 501 Herbal Recipes for Home, Health and Happiness by Pip Waller (Leaping Hare Press).

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How to keep your herbs going over winter

Rosemary, sage and bay are hardy fellows and will survive, albeit in go-slow mode if left in the garden over the winter. Your basic garden mint, grown in a pot and kept in a sunny, sheltered spot will muddle through, too. It’s worth providing a bit of extra TLC by mulching around roots to keep out the cold or covering with horticultural fleece.

They won’t put on much growth so don’t demand too much by way of fresh pickings. Go for new leaves and shoots, avoiding old growth if you can.

A few other things you could try:
1. Move varieties like thyme, parsley and oregano into a cold frame or unheated greenhouse, which will help them flourish.
2. You can sow coriander outdoors in February as it copes well with cold weather and will produce leaves within six weeks. 
3. Try dividing perennials like chives, mint, oregano, marjoram and tarragon to encourage plenty of new growth once the growing season starts. Make sure the ground isn’t frozen and dig up the entire plant. Divide the crown and root ball into two or more sections, using a knife or a spade. Protect them once they are back in the ground by mulching or covering with horticultural fleece. 
4. If you struggle without herbs, why not freeze or dry them so you can enjoy a ready supply over the winter months?

Read more:

From the November issue

Herb recipes

Gardening tips

Fancy sea salt hot chocolate, cinder toffee and firepit cakes, a celebration of toast plus ways to tell a good story around the fire, subversive cross stitch and how to keep your herbs going over winter? Oh and bibliotherapy, crafternoons and a poem about beautiful librarians. 

All this in our November COMFORT issue. You'll find us in even more Waitrose and Sainsbury's stores this month plus WH Smiths, Tesco and good independents. We're on sale now somewhere near you.

November's The Simple Things is out now - buy, download or subscribe.

Fresh: Herbs - how to make them last, PLUS a winter herb salad recipe

March is the perfect month to experiment with herbs, to bring freshness and flavour to your cooking. How hard can it be to make supermarket herbs last? Alive one minute, wilting the next... Help those pots of herbs enjoy a longer lifespan.

Pot on

Supermarket herbs are grown for value, so there is a lot of plant crammed into a little pot, causing overcrowding and competition for nutrients. Potting on in a bigger container will give the plant room to grow.

Best for: Thyme, chives, sage, parsley, basil, mint and rosemary

Pick hard

This encourages growth and lets light in.

Best for: Parsley, oregano, thyme

Pick prudently

On a basil plant, don't be tempted to pick the biggest leaves first. Pinch out the smaller leaves at the top of the stem instead, to encourage growth. 

Best for: Basil

Water carefully

Drenching herbs can kill them. Instead, water from below by sitting the pot on a saucer of water until the soil feels moist, but not wet. Let the soil dry out before repeating.

Best for: all herbs

Recipe: Winter herb salad

Go heavy on the herbs. This Middle Eastern-style dish is packed with punchy flavours. Serves 4.

1 large bunch flat-leaved parsley
1 large bunch coriander
5 cauliflower florets
A handful of radishes
5 spring onions

For the dressing:
Zest and juice of half a lemon
30ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Roughly chop the herbs and the radishes and slice the spring onions, and put them together into a large bowl. Take the central stems out of the cauliflowers to break them up into tiny florets. Add to the salad.

2. Put all of the dressing ingredients into a jar and shake them together, then pour over the salad and mix well.

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Get creative with herbs

Copious crops? These culinary ideas will help you cope with a herb glut

Get creative with herbs

Make a vinegar Take a clean jar, fill loosely with your herb, add vinegar to the top, close tightly and leave to steep for 4–6 weeks. strain, then use in marinades or salads.
 As a rule, stronger herbs go well in red wine vinegar; if the herb will colour the liquid, opt for white.

Add to drinks Add mint with cucumber and lemon to water and infuse for 10 mins in the fridge for a great hot-weather quencher. Add handfuls of parsley, dill or basil to juices for a health and flavour boost.

Freeze them in ice cubes to add to meals when fresh supplies are low Fill ice trays about 1/4 full of filtered water, fill with your freshest leaves, then cover with water.

Want to know what to grow? Jekka McVicar’s knowhow is second to none. Here are her top tips.

• Oregano is the easiest herb to grow in poor, dry conditions. It is happy to be planted in the type of soil that other herb varieties wouldn’t put up with.

• Supermarket herbs are best on window sills. Amazing as it sounds, they’re actually raised to cope with indoor conditions. Pick leaves regularly and don’t let them dry out or, indeed, overwater them.

• Contrary to what you might think, coriander is a bit of a tricky customer. It needs shade as well as a rich, fertile soil that doesn’t dry out.

• The easiest herbs to grow from seed are rocket, purslane or dill. They will put on a good show whether sown in trays or directly into the ground.

• Mint is easy to propagate. It’s the best herb to try if you’re new to taking cuttings.

• Plant parsley this month. Sow directly into the soil by the end of August for fresh pickings through winter.

Turn to page 90 of August’s The Simple Things for more herbs. Buy or download your copy now.

Jekka McVicar's useful but less obvious herbs

Read our feature on Jekka McVicar (page 90 of August's The Simple Things)? Add her suggestions for useful but less obvious herbs to your shopping list.

1. Borage (Borago officinalis)

This frost-hardy annual has attractive, star-shaped, blue flowers in summer which can be used in drinks and salads. Its young leaves pep up salads and mature leaves can be cooked to make a delicious summer soup (chill first). Height: 60cm.

2. Celery leaf (Apium graveolens)

A hardy biennial with tiny, green-white flowers in the summer of the second year. The leaves have a strong celery flavour and young ones are good in salads or as a flavouring in soups and sauces. It is also used medicinally to ease osteo-arthritis. Height: 30cm-1m.

3. Myrtle (Myrtus communis)

The small white flowers of this frost-hardy, evergreen shrub have golden stamens in summer followed by blue/black berries in autumn. Its dark-green, shiny, oval, aromatic leaves are good with roast, pork and game dishes and delicious sprinkled on roast vegetables. Height: up to 3m.

4. Red Orach (Atriplex hortensis var. rubra)

Use the young dark red leaves of this hardy annual in salads or cook its mature leaves like spinach. One word of warning: it's an enthusiastic self seeder! Height: 1m.

5. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

A hardy perennial with large flat umbels of small yellow flowers in summer followed by aromatic edible seeds and soft green feathery foliage. Complements fish, pork and salads. Height: up to 2.1m.

6. Winter Savory (Satureja montana)

The small white flowers of this hardy perennial are tinged with pink in summer. The dark green, linear, pungent leaves are good for salt-free diets. Height: 30cm.

Image: Jason Ingram

For more on Jekka McVicar, buy or download your copy of August's The Simple Things.

How to be a mindful eater PLUS three simple tea infusion recipes

Yes, we love food, but it doesn't always get our full attention. Time to reconnect your mind with your mouth and become a mindful eater.

Many of us fall easily into patterns of mindless eating. We pick at food while working at our computers. We reach for the quickest - and usually the unhealthiest - snacks for a quick energy boost. We don't take proper lunch breaks. We are constantly distracted while we eat, by television, by work by our phones and computers. We have lost a lot of the enjoyment of eating and as a result we are guilty of just shovelling food into our bodies.

Turn to page 100 of July's The Simple Things to read Rebecca Frank's rediscovery of the joys and pleasure of conscious eating. And sit down with a cuppa, taking time to enjoy the fragrant flavours of one of these mindful infusions. Glass tumblers work really well, as you can fully appreciate not only the refreshing taste and aroma, but also the visual delights. You can sweeten any of the teas with a dash of honey.

Simple Mint Tea

2-3 sprigs of fresh mint Freshly boiled water

Place the mint sprigs into your favourite tea tumbler.

Pour over hot water.

Leave to steep for a few minutes and you will notice the water start to turn slightly green. Savour and enjoy.

Mindful tea notes: This simple, refreshing mint tea has long been used as a natural digestive aid. It works well if sipped slowly after a meal.

Rosemary Tea

2-3 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves Freshly boiled water

Add the fresh rosemary to your favourite tea tumbler.

Pour over hot water and leave to steep for a few minutes.

Enjoy immediately or strain mixture first depending on your preference.

Mindful tea notes: Rosemary is associated with memory and is a lovely tea when you need focus and concentration on your side.

Lemon, Ginger and Lemongrass Tea

1 inch ginger; peeled and sliced into long thin strips 1 organic, unwaxed lemon A few seeds from a cardamom pod 1 stalk lemongrass Freshly boiled water

Press down on the ginger slices and cardamom seeds with the back of a teaspoon to release the flavours and place them in your favourite tea tumbler.

Slice the top and bottom off the lemongrass stalk and then slice in half lengthways, remove the outer layer, and place sliced inner sections into your tumbler.

Pour over hot water and leave to steep for a few minutes.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon and add to the tumbler.

Stir well and enjoy.

Mindful tea notes: The combination of lemon and ginger is energising, while the extra cardamom adds spicy warmth to boost your metabolism.

Not got July's The Simple Things yet? Buy or download your copy now.

More recipes from The Simple Things.

Recipe: Lemon verbena sherbet

In June's The Simple Things, Lia Leendertz picks early-season crops and herbs for that first taste of summer. Turn to page 44 for fresh and tasty home-grown recipes, including this one for lemon verbena sherbet.

If you don't have a dedicated space for growing veggies, you can still pack your food full of summer flavours by growing a few pots of herbs. If you haven't discovered lemon verbena, then make procuring a plant your new resolution. The leaves taste like sherbet and make the best herb tea.

Or try making lemon verbena sherbet: 'A couple of years ago I came across a recipe for making sherbet, and I have been strangely addicted to it ever since. Hand your children a little egg cup full of sherbet with a handful of strawberries to dip in - and they'll be delighted', says Lia Leendertz.

The fizziness comes from the tongue-tingling combination of citric acid and bicarbonate of soda: the moisture on your tongue sets of the reaction, releasing fizzing carbon dioxide.

Lemon verbena sherbet (makes about 70g)

You will need:

Pared peel of 4 lemons About 8 lemon verbena stems, hung up to dry for a few days 60g icing sugar 1/4 tsp citric acid (from chemists) 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1. Roast lemon peel on a baking tray in a low oven for 30 minutes until crispy.

2. Strip the leaves from the stems (they must also be crispy) and whizz peel and leaves together in a blender.

3. Sift sugar, citric acid and bicarb into a bowl and add the ground leaf and peel. Serve with sliced fruit.

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More recipes from The Simple Things.

Five ways with mint: recipes

The only herb that's also an adjective, mint deserves more than a cursory dip in your Pimm's. So don't leave it to run rampage in the garden, or wilt in a glass on the kitchen worktop - show it a good time with our recipes.

Five mint recipes from The Simple Things:

Chicken, preserved lemon and herb salad

Prepare 250g couscous with 400ml chicken stock, cover and leave for 5 minutes before fluffing up with a fork. Mix 3 roasted, torn chicken breasts, 2 chopped preserved lemons, 50g toasted flaked almonds, 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds, a packet of lightly crushed fresh coriander and a packet of roughly chopped fresh mint. Whisk 2 tbsp juice from the lemons with 2 tbsp oil and season, toss into salad and serve with couscous.

Fish cakes

Cook 700g King Edward potatoes until tender. Meanwhile, poach 300g salmon and 2 eggs in boiling water for 10 minutes; leave to cool. Flake salmon; chop eggs. Mash potato and stir in salmon, eggs, a bunch of sliced spring onions, 10g dill, 1 tbsp chopped mint. Season. Mould into 8 cakes and chill for 30 minutes. Shallow-fry fish cakes until golden. Serve with a dip made from 200ml creme fraiche, 2 tbsp garlic mayonnaise and 10g dill.

Mint and cranberry smoothie

Place 600ml light cranberry juice, 100g fat-free Greek yoghurt, 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint and 1 tbsp clear honey in a large jug and blend with a hand blender. Pour into 2 tall glasses. Add a handful of fresh or frozen raspberries for even more zing.

Minty summer pudding

Cook 800g fresh berries, 25g caster sugar and 2 tbsp water for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving juice; cool. Stir in most of a packet of fresh mint. Dip 6 slices of white, crustless bread in juice (one side only), sprinkle with leftover mint and lay 5 in a bowl. Keep leftover juice. Fill bowl with fruit, top with final bread slice and fold edges over. Place a saucer on top then something heavy. Chill overnight. Turn out and serve with remaining juice and cream.

Thyme and mint pears with raspberry sauce

Combine 150g caster sugar and 500ml water and bring to the boil. Simmer until sugar dissolves. Trim bases of 4 ripe, peeled pears so they stand upright. Add them to syrup, along with 10g fresh thyme and 3 sprigs mint, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pears, discard herbs and reduce syrup by half (about 8 minutes). Add 300g raspberries and juice of half a lemon. Cook 1-2 minutes, blend, add thyme and serve with pears.

Taken from May's issue of The Simple Things - buy or download now

More recipes from The Simple Things.

Image: Alice Hendy Photography

Grow indoor herbs PLUS a competition (closed 30 April 2014)

Add colour to your kitchen and flavour to your food…and win some brilliant freebies along the way! Choose a few herbs to grow indoors and you'll be killing two birds with one stone. You'll instantly be able to enliven home-cooked dishes with fresh flavours as well as introducing a bit of colour and interest in your kitchen while you're at it.

Indoor herbs are easy to grow providing you give them plenty of light and water them regularly - though not too much as their roots won't appreciate 'sitting' in water. Read on for our top tips, and win with Carbon Gold.

Choose robust varieties like rosemary, bay, thyme, mint, basil, parsley and hyssop if you're new to growing and buy from a good independent garden nursery. Don't be tempted to pot up supermarket-bought plants because they've been raised in specific conditions (warm temperatures and often grown in water) which make them more delicate and less likely to thrive for longer than the few weeks shelf-life they've been raised for.

Says The Simple Things' Gardening Editor, Cinead McTernan:

'I went for hyssop, which I can add to soups and stews and when the weather warms up a bit, salads. I use thyme in lots of cooking and found a really pretty variety, 'Foxley' from my local garden centre.'

Go for herbs with fairly shallow roots rather than long, tap roots if you're growing in smaller indoor pots, again to give them the best chance of growing healthily. You can use quirky containers and recycle tins, pots, and other vessels but make sure they're big enough to give the plants chance to develop a good root system, and if they don't have a drainage hole (such as a very large teapot), add a few stones to create a layer of drainage.

Fill your container with compost - go for peat-free if you can and try something like Carbon Gold'sGroChar, which is fantastic for retaining moisture in the soil. You won't have to water so often, which is ideal if you're often out and about. Cinead bought two thyme plants, dividing and planting one in the Allison's bread tin using Grochar and leaving the other in its pot.

She says: 'I often discover that the one left in the pot has dried out and I've had issues with browning leaves due to irregular watering (or lack of watering). No such problems with GroChar. Top tip: If you're using GroChar, you might think the soil is dry. Use your finger to test just underneath the top layer of soil and check the moisture levels, watering only when this feels dry.'

Don't be afraid to divide herbs, teasing the roots apart carefully, to end up with two or three plants rather than just one.

Try sowing seeds too - micro herbs are a great idea as they'll be ready to harvest in a matter of weeks and the small leaves are packed with an intense flavour compared with the mature leaves. Again, Carbon Gold have a really good seed sowing compost which I'm going to try. I've chosen 3 varieties from Jekka's Herb Farm - Bull's Blood, Wild Rocket and Red Frills Mustard. Check back in a few weeks to see how my micro seeds get on...

COMPETITION

Add colour to your kitchen and flavour to your food…and win some brilliant freebies along the way!

Give seeds the best start in Carbon Gold’s Seed Compost and add a dash of glamour by planting them in something out of the ordinary – vintage tins, charity shop teapots or even a colourful wellington boot!

Carbon Gold would love to hear about the most quirky container you’d use to house your herbs.

Their favourite idea will win a Home Grower Starter Pack worth £51.95 and five runners up will win a 1kg tube of Soil Improver each.

You have until April 30 2014 to share your most inspired ideas! Here’s how to take part…

1. Simply ‘like’ the Carbon Gold Facebook page

2. Seek out The Simple Things competition poster nestled amongst Carbon Gold’s Facebook pictures

3. Leave a comment underneath the poster, sharing your creative container concepts.

Competition closes 30 April 2014