Seasonal Recipes, Inspired By The Garden

Using seasonal produce from our very own back gardens of West Sussex…

July: Picked to pot — refreshing herbal tea

Perfect in the heat, this is so much more satisfying and enriching than the shop bought teas; every batch is unique and brings an incredible wealth of flavours and essences to promote grounding, calm and relaxation. I pick from my ample source of the following herbs and weeds; all edible and with herbal/medicinal value:

  • Lemon balm
  • Garden mint
  • Pineapple mint
  • Woundwort
  • Nettle leaves (tips including flowers)
  • Bay leaf
  • Oregano leaves and flowers
  • Rose petals
  • Bramble leaves
  • Raspberries leaves
  • Bronze fennel leaves
  • Nasturtium
  • Feverfew
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Lemon verbena
  • Pelargonium Attar of Roses
  • Dandelion
  • Bergamot

Method: Take a small breathable basket into the garden (with a pair of scissors or gloves to avoid any prickles or stings) and pick the best looking disease-free leaves – avoid any showing signs of powdery mildew.

Pick as much as you like, as the remainder you don’t use now you can be left to dry in the basket in a warm ventilated place. This current July 2026 heatwave is just fine!

Add 1 heaped teaspoon per cup, and steep in boiling water in your favourite tea pot or on the stove for 3-5 minutes. Add honey for a sweeter taste, or a squeeze of lemon to kickstart your metabolism. Experiment. Pour to your favourite mug and enjoy! I keep adding hot water to the leaves through the day which provides me with cold/iced tea through the day. Perfect chilled overnight.

P.s My next batch will include dried fig leaves. I personally feel wary around the sap which is an irritant so I am going to use dried fig leaves here. Update to follow but expect tropical, coconut vibes!

Disclaimer: Please check that any herbs you choose to use are suitable for your individual health circumstances, including any medical conditions, allergies, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and any medications you may be taking. If you are unsure, seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional before using herbal remedies.

October: Quince paste or Spanish ‘membrillo’

Quince paste (membrillo) works beautifully using Chaenomeles (Japanese quince), as they’re very aromatic and high in pectin. Many people don’t realise that the slightly unusual fruit, which appears in late summer on the thorny shrub with the highly ornamental flowers in spring, is edible. Membrillo is eaten in Spain with Manchego cheese (a hard sheep’s cheese) but works just as well with other hard cheeses.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Chaenomeles /quince fruit (washed – no need to peel)
  • 750 g granulated sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon (optional)

Method

1. Prepare the fruit

Select the best of your quinces and roast them at 190°C for 15–30 minutes, until the skins begin to peel away and the flesh is soft and fragrant. Roasting helps deepen and caramelise the flavour, while keeping water-soluble compounds like amygdalin from leaching into the flesh. It also softens the fruit to make skin and seeds easy to separate.

2. Remove skins and seeds

Allow the fruit to cool slightly. Then cut away the skins (discard) and scoop up the soft pulp and add to a pan. You should hopefully be able to scoop out the seed capsules whole. Discard these too. If the skins have broken down too much, you can press the mixture through a colander to separate the skin from the smoother pulp.

3. Weigh and sweeten

Weigh your prepared pulp — this is your base weight for the recipe. Add sugar equal to three-quarters of the pulp weight (for example, 700 g pulp = about 525 g sugar).

4. Cook the paste

Place the pulp in a pan and add just enough water to cover it — plus a little extra (it needn’t be exact). Add the sugar and lemon juice (if using). Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring regularly, until the paste thickens and turns a deep amber colour. It’s ready when a small spoonful sets like jelly on a cold plate.

5. Set and store

Pour into a parchment-lined dish or tin and leave to cool and set. Once firm, slice into blocks and store in the fridge wrapped in parchment paper. It pairs perfectly with hard cheese or cold meats.

Tweaks: I added a couple of tablespoons of dried elderberries to the cooking but, school girl error, this added extra work in the separation stage of seeds and skin, as you’ll also want to remove these through a colander. Next time I will boil the water and berries first before straining to make a tea before adding to the fruit! I might also blend the skin and pulp. You could also try spice like star anise or rose water.