Fruit Tea

Make your own fruit tea! I LOVE TEA!

For this you need a teapot and strainer really but can get by with just a saucepan if your careful pouring.

I especially love tea I’ve brewed from leaves or fruit of my own. It’s exiting finding out what flavours you can combine.

As a base I use either fresh mint leaves – I’m growing a little plant in the front of the van. =)

Or some dried mint leaves, currently Nana Mint from Gurmanotea in Cardiff Market.

Then add to the pot any fruit which you’ve accidentally squashed or is starting to go soft. Orange segments halved, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, kiwi. Whatever you have that lets out juices.

If you really want to push the boat out try adding some spices, aniseed, cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, lemon, lime, or flowers like chamomile, raspberry leaf, lavender.

Keeping a few vanilla seeds in your sugar pot really makes for a lovely addition to teas and coffees.

Allow to seep in the pot for a good while with hot water before serving.

Some of the great properties of MINT include; antioxidant, improve indigestion, anti-flatulence, calming, soothing to the throat and some headaches.

Some Tea Suggestions;

Moroccan Mint;

Brew a pot of mint leaves and add plenty of sugar, 2+ teaspoons to be authentic.

You could add some black tea too (1 teabag).

To make it a bit more exciting add a slice of orange and lemon too.

Spiced Orange;

1 orange’s peel grated.

1 orange peeled, with the segments halved to let juices out.

3 cloves

1 aniseed

1 stick cinnamon

1 tsp grated root ginger

1 black tea bag (optional)

Berry Mint;

big handful mint leaves

handful raspberries

2 strawberries halved

1 slice lime

1 tsp vanilla sugar (optional)

Spiced Morning Tea

Cardiff Market

This is a place I love! To just wander around, but especially to do my shopping.

There are 6 fruit and veg stalls full of delicious bright, fresh fruits, an excellent olive/nut/sweet stall, a beautiful loose tea stall, bakeries, book stalls, cafes, pet shops…

The best time of day to go for a bargain is nearing the end of the day 4pm-ish, When the vegetable shops are trying to sell off the last of their veg. Strawberries always seem to be really cheap at this time, but so are lots of other fruit/ veg.

The olive stall is more of a luxury for me but you can get a tiny or great big box of all sorts of delicious olives and garlics. Just make sure to say no fish/cheese. The giant liquorice is a treat that has to be experienced.

The loose tea stall (Gurmanotea) is a new one. Any tea lover in Cardiff has to visit. There are more than 70 types of loose tea, black teas, herbal teas, fruit teas, blends… with all the help you could want trying to pick the right one. AND the prices begin at just 90p!

Really, visit Cardiff Indoor Market, shop there, appreciate it, use it. We are so lucky to have it.