Meadowsweet recipe

Along with water mint and vervain, meadowsweet is part of the triad of core medicinal herbs used by the druids. It was also used to flavour mead, and mythological Celtic warrior Chu Chullain was cured of an attack of fever using a bath of meadowsweet. Faithful to its Celtic mythos, it is a herb that calms inflammation, soothing upset stomach, arthritic joints and even crampy periods. Traditional remedy for hayfever, I don’t think it’s coincidental it comes into bloom about now when many start sneezing on sunny days.

One of the best ways to take meadowsweet medicinally is as tea. Forage when the it is at the height of flowering, the beautiful creamy cloud-like whisps should smell divine, a hint of vanilla. Pick both the flower and the leaves. You can brew the tea from the fresh herbs, or shade-dry them and keep them in a tight container, and use that for tea throughout the year. That volatile oil is essential to healing, so always brew the tea in closed container, pouring the boiling water (some say leave the water to cool down for a moment before pouring over the herb) and leaving for 10 minutes before you drink. The smell of meadowsweet is so lively, you probably won't need anything else in that tea. But it goes well with spearmint, ginger, or chamomile.

• Please forage responsibly, taking no more than 10% of any patch of plants/flowers/leaves/berries.

• Forage from area free from herb/pesticides, pollutants (e.g. heavy traffic), mindful of dog poos! There are poisonous and deadly plants including lookalikes, so never consume any plant unless 100% certain of what it is.

Meadowsweet syrup

This syrup can be used as flavouring for a sponge cake, into yoghurts, as dressing for fruit salad. Because of the sugar content, it is not exactly medicinal, but delicious!

Ingredients:

• Meadowsweet flowers - enough to fill a 8oz mason jar

• 125g sugar

• 125ml water

Directions:

1. Place both sugar and water into a pan. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer, and turn off the heat.

2. Place the meadowsweet into a sterilised 8oz mason jar, and pour the syrup from step 1 over the flower.

3. Lid and leave to soak for up to 3 days

4. Sieve out the flower, place syrup in a sterilised bottle.

5. Don't forget to label!