Drinks
Liz’s homemade tea blends
A good cup of tea can make the world of difference – be it mood, digestion or sleeping. This trio of loose teas, made from natural ingredients and nothing more, aim to do just that, one cup at a time. Each recipe makes a 200g glass jar – use approximately 1-2 tsp per cup of tea. Brew each blend in a teapot for around five minutes, then strain into a cup.
Morning glow
- 50g fresh ginger root
- 5 lemons, peel only (no pith)
- 50g fresh thyme
Heat the oven to around 130°C/260°F/gas mark 1/2. Wash the ginger root and carefully peel off the skin. Roughly chop the ginger into small pieces. ‘pat the pieces dry with a paper towel, if needed, to remove any moisture before arranging on a tray with a paper towel, if needed, to remove any moisture before arranging on a tray with baking parchment.
Finely slice the lemon peel and add it to the tray with the ginger and thyme. Pop in the oven, keeping the door slightly ajar. Bake for ten to 15 hours, checking occasionally to shake up the pieces. When the ginger is totally dried, remove from the oven.
Mix the ginger, lemon peel and thyme together well and place in an air-tight container such as a Kilner jar.
After dinner
- 100g liquorice root
- 100g dried peppermint leaves, crushed
Break up the liquorice root to fit in your container, then pour in the crushed peppermint leaves to fill in the remaining gaps in the jar.
Sleep well
- 100g dried lemon balm leaves, crushed
- 100g dried camomile
Mix the lemon balm and camomile flowers together in an air-tight container.
If you are drying your own peppermint or lemon balm leaves, rinse each stem with its leaves in cold water and lay them out in a single layer on a paper towel to air-dry for a few hours. Then tightly tie the stems together in a bunch with string, leaving the leaves exposed. Hang the bunches upside down in a dark, warm, well-ventilated area for around two weeks.
Make Liz’s teas, as seen on This Morning
Morning energiser
You will need:
- Fresh rosemary – very stimulating, also anti-bacterial as naturally high in essential oils
- Thyme – also highly anti-bacterial, good for making into a simple gargle for sore throats too
- Lemon peel (or dried lemon peel powder)
Mix together and brew.
Calming blend
Did you know dried flower petals can make the most delicious teas? They look so pretty served in a glass tea pot and Moroccan-style tea glasses
You will need:
- Rose petals or dried hibiscus flowers (from the garden or online)
- Chamomile
Sweeten with honey, lovely to sip throughout the day. Nice chilled too over ice.
Digestive teas
- Peppermint – use fresh mint leaves
- Lemon peel (dried and ground to make a lemon peel powder to add to teas!) or add a piece of lemon peel to some mint leaves – tastes delicious too…
Can sweeten with honey if you like. Drink after meals to help settle the tum and reduce bloating
Bedtime tea
You will need:
- Valerian root
- Lemon balm (Melissa) – very easy to grow, looks like mint, smells like lemons when you rub between your fingers
- Lavender flowers
Brew and sip before bed – drink this instead of regular tea or coffee to cut the caffeine so you sleep better too.
