GROW YOUR OWN APOTHECARY

Healing recipes that harness the power of seasonal fruit, flowers and foliage for optimum health

I’ve always been a forager at heart and after moving to the Sussex Downlands 20 years ago, I found I loved nothing more than searching my local hedgerows for plants to turn into jams, chutneys and simple remedies. It was a love that led me to volunteer at the Weald & Downland Living Museum near my home, teaching children about medieval and Tudor medicine, to write on the subject for my parish magazine and eventually to fill two books with my recipes and concoctions (the ones overleaf are taken from my second book, The Garden

Apothecary). I’m fascinated by folklore: the inspiration for my own natural remedies comes from recipes passed down through generations of herbalists who foraged for ingredients and grew them in their gardens. I am by no means an accomplished gardener, but most of the ingredients used in the following recipes can be found in my modest plot. I love every stage of the process – from gathering ingredients and infusing oils to designing a unique label for each product. But best of all is knowing I’ve made something totally natural that may really help!*