Tea

Hello Again Everyone,

Today I'm talking about tea,

so let's put the kettle on …...

Tea is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to Asia.

Tea originated in Southwest China, where it was used as a medicinal drink.

Portuguese priests and merchants introduced it to Europe during the 16th century.

During the 17th century, drinking tea became fashionable among Britons.

After water, it is the most widely consumed drink in the world.

All types of tea– green, black and oolong–are produced from the Camellia sinensis plant using different methods. Fresh leaves from the plant are steamed to produce green tea, while the leaves of black tea and oolong involve fermentation.

Green tea is alleged to boost weight loss, reduce cholesterol, combat cardiovascular disease, and prevent cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Mmmmm thirsty work this ….........

I think the kettle has boiled now, let's have a cup of tea! 

Maybe a smooth green tea with a mouth-watering burst of strawberry and raspberry. 

 

The term herbal tea usually refers to infusions of fruit or herbs made without the tea plant, such as steeps of rosehip, chamomile, or rooibos. These are sometimes called tisanes or herbal infusions to prevent confusion with tea made from the tea plant.



Green tea has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat everything from headaches to depression. The leaves are supposedly richer in antioxidants than other types of tea because of the way they are processed.

Green tea contains B vitamins, folate (naturally occurring folic acid), manganese, potassium, magnesium, caffeine and other antioxidants, notably catechins.


Twinings are a popular brand of tea.

At Twinings, they like to talk about tea. That’s because, for them, it’s the most exciting thing in the world. With a host of Master Blenders and flavour experts, they pride themselves on challenging the status quo of tea. With a history dating back to 1706, quality tea has always been at the heart of what they do. 

 

Peppermint tea is a delicious and refreshing way to boost your overall health in a number of ways due to its ability to improve digestion, reduce pain, eliminate inflammation, relax the body and mind, cure bad breath, aid in weight loss and boost the immune system. Its impact on the digestive system is considerable, and its base element of menthol is perhaps the most valuable part of its organic structure.  

 Quite simply, peppermint tea is an infusion made from peppermint leaves that is drunk as a tea. When you mix spearmint leaves to the tisane (infusion), you get what’s called double mint tea. This substance is caffeine-free, so many people who suffer from sensitive sleep patterns like to drink this relaxing tea before bed.  

Mmmmmmm delicious..........

Goodbye for now!

Water

Hello Again,

 

 

 

 

 Water 

Dispose of your
bottles carefully

Some places have too much and other places don't have enough!


Is this machine a cure for drought?  The breakthrough was developed by MIT and university of Californian scientists.  It creates water from air using the power of the sun! There is more fresh water in the atmosphere than in all of the rivers on the planet combined.

Or will we be eating little balls of H2O in the future?  It may help the pollution problem from 16 million plastic water bottles being dumped in the United Kingdom each year alone.


In just one day, 200 million work hours are consumed by women collecting water for their families. Diarrhoea caused by dirty water and bad sanitation is the second biggest child killer worldwide,  unsafe water kills 200 children every hour.  A lack of clean water and toilets keeps girls out of school, stops women from working, and traps people in poverty.

WateraidUK is one of the many charities helping 38 countries in the world by transforming millions of people's lives by improving access to clean water and sanitation. Why don't you pop along and see how you can help.

Or even check your own environment. A leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year.

Or if everyone in the US used just one less gallon of water per shower every day, we could save some 85 billion gallons of water per year.

70% of the Earth is covered with water but only about 1% of the world’s water is readily available for human use. Nearly 97% is salty or otherwise undrinkable. 
 
Another 2% is locked in the ice caps and glaciers.

That leaves just 1% for all humanity’s needs.
So we all need to conserve and respect our water.


Obviously  we need to hydrate ourselves as  you can’t survive without water.

 It makes up over half of your body and is essential for you to function properly.

Water is the best choice when it comes to meeting your body's needs for fluids.

It doesn't have any calories and is free if you drink tap water.  

If you don't like the taste of your local water there are many bottled waters on the market now including  Harrogate Water.

Homemade Elderflower Cordial

 

 

Welcome to Artisan Refreshments 

 

 

 

 

 

 Hello again,

 

  I noticed yesterday the elderflower tree in my garden is getting ready to produce flowers, oh great I thought Homemade Elderflower Cordial.  If you have the time to make it You can't beat making your own!

 The elderflower season runs from late May to early July depending on where in the UK you live and is common everywhere except the far north of Scotland, The parent plant, elder, or ‘Sambucus nigra frequenting hedgerows, waste ground and woodland fringes. The flat-topped sprays of creamy white flowers have a heady fragrance; distinctly musky and sweet.



 The culinary uses are many and varied, and in my experience, never less than delicious. Elderflower cordial is probably the best known, since it is made commercially and is available year-round. It’s also easy to make yourself at home.


  Whatever you decide to make, the process of gathering the flower heads is the same. Choose a dry sunny day, sever the stalks carefully with scissors and keep the flowers upright so that pollen, the source of much of that unique flavour and fragrance, will not be lost. Place carefully in a bag and have a good pick through at home to remove any bugs rather than washing them. Trim as much stalk off as you can before use.

• 2½ kg white sugar caster or granulated
• 2 unwaxed lemons
•  20 fresh elderflower heads trim stalks
  
• 85g citric acid (from chemists) optional, you don't need to use this

 Put the sugar and 1.5 litres/2¾ pints water into the largest saucepan you have. Gently heat, without boiling, until the sugar has dissolved. Give it a stir every now and again. Pare the zest from the lemons using a potato peeler, then slice the lemons into rounds.

Once the sugar has dissolved, bring the pan of syrup to the boil, then turn off the heat. Fill a washing up bowl with cold water. Give the flowers a gentle swish around to loosen any dirt or bugs. Lift flowers out, gently shake and transfer to the syrup along with the lemons, zest and citric acid, then stir well. Cover the pan and leave to infuse for 24 hrs. 

Line a colander with a clean tea towel, then sit it over a large bowl or pan. Ladle in the syrup – let it drip slowly through. Discard the bits left in the towel. Use a funnel and a ladle to fill sterilised bottles (run glass bottles through the dishwasher, or wash well with soapy water. Rinse, then leave to dry in a low oven). The cordial is ready to drink straight away and will keep in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. Or freeze it in plastic containers or ice cube trays and defrost as needed.

Until the Elderflowers are ready you may be interested in trying these well known brands;

  Mr Fitzpatrick's Vintage Elderflower Cordial

 

 






 Kingsdown's  Fruit Presse Elderflower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Have fun making your own cordials!

Cordials

Hello there everyone,

Welcome to
Artisan Refreshments.

 

Cordials

 

Cordials in this sense is a noun. A drink with a fruit base, usually sold in concentrated form and diluted with water before being drunk e.g Ginger cordial, or another word for liqueur. In many areas throughout the world, the words liqueur and cordial are considered to be interchangeable. When used to describe liqueur, a cordial is often very flavorful, has a low alcohol content, and is consumed after a meal. In Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, as well as many other countries, a cordial is also known as a squash. This is a non-alcoholic drink that is very sweet and flavored to taste like various fruits, such as lemon, strawberry, kiwi, and peach. The squash comes in concentrate form and water or seltzer is added to create the perfect cordial.

A cordial is any invigorating and stimulating preparation that is intended for a medicinal purpose. The term derives from an obsolete usage. For years, a cordial was used for medicinal purposes. In order to cure a person’s ailment, and because it was thought to also be good for a person’s overall health, various types of cordials were created. Starting during the Renaissance, and continuing on throughout the years, cordials were often alcohol-based. In these types of cordials, spices and herbs, as well as other types of ingredients, were steeped to create a cure-all drink. Various concoctions were formerly created that were believed to be beneficial to one's health, especially for the heart.

 Try some spicy aromatic plum Mr Fitzpatrick's vintage Cordials with sparkling water today only £7.50 with free post & Packing.








Technically speaking, the word cordial is used to describe a tonic, syrup, or non-alcoholic drink that is often considered to be quite sweet. Although, many people consider the term to describe any type of liqueur that has a low alcohol content, or even a medicinal beverage. However, when it comes to describing a beverage, the definition isn’t quite as cut and dry. This is because it can actually be used to describe many different types of drinks.  

First Post

First post

Hello there everyone,

 Welcome to Artisan Refreshments.

 

At Artisan Refreshments, we love refreshing and delicious beverages. The ones we find and we enjoy the most we would like to share with others. We look for drinks free from artificial additives, healthy alternatives to hydrate oneself.

Welcome to our very first posting. 

Artisan Refreshments would like to share with you Mr Fitzpatrick's Vintage Cordials. 

Their ethos is "Natural is good", 

Mr Fitzpatrick's began life in Dublin in 1836 where Julia Fitzpatrick created wonderful elixirs, tonics and pick-me-ups at her kitchen table. Later the family moved to The North of England, where they established a successful chain of temperance bars. Where they served their local communities, their delicious and unique botanical beverages. All the vintage cordials remain true to the roots of the Fitzpatrick family traditions and unique long-standing recipes.

 

Try Mr Fitzpatrick vintage Sarsaparilla, an authentic taste of childhood. In a 500 ml glass bottle, this woody tasting cordial dating from the 18th century. 

Only £7.50  + Free post & Packing

Or even catch yourself a great Easter Treat while stocks last.