Hand-poured candles

You can easily buy the individual ‘ingredients’ to make candles from specialist retailers online (try suppliesforcandles.co.uk). But if this is your first try, a kit is the easiest way to get your hands on everything you need. Here, I used the Lunar Oceans Scented Candle Making Kit (£45, lunaroceans.com – see previous page), which is vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and made in the UK.

PREPARATION 30 MINUTES, PLUS SETTING TIME MAKES 6

2 BAGS OF SOY WAX FLAKES

2 BOTTLES OF FRAGRANCE OIL MELTING JUG (CAN BE USED INSTEAD OF A DOUBLE BOILER) THERMOMETER

WHISK

6 WICKS WITH WICK STICKERS

6 METAL CANDLE HOLDERS

1 Measure your wax into a bowl, place it over a pan of simmering water and warm gently for 10-15 minutes until it fully melts.

2 Take the wax off the hob and whisk in any colour or fragrance you’d like to include (see previous page for inspiration).

3 Make sure your candle containers are clean and dry, then attach your wick to the bottom with a dab of molten wax or a wick sticker.

4 Pour the wax into the container – you can avoid a wonky wick by using a wick-centering tool. If a dip appears around your wick as the wax cools, simply top up with more liquid wax.

5 Trim your wick and admire your completed candle.