Author: info@stkittsherbery.store

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Herb of the Week: Pulsatilla Vulgaris

This week’s herb of the week is particularly appropriate at this time of year- Pulsatilla, is also known as the Pasque flower or Easter flower

It’s one of the earliest flowers of spring and, like other anemones provides a welcome shot of colour after the long winter months. After the flowers have faded, the fluffy seed heads continue to provide interest.

Pulsatilla Vulgaris

Traditionally, this hardy perennial was used to make a dye used to colour eggs at Easter, and was also used to treat respiratory and digestive treatments.

All the plants featured in our ‘Herb of the Week’ section are available from St Kitts Herbery, Camelford at the time of publication. Please phone us to check availability at other times of the year.

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Herb of the week: Tree spinach, Chenopodium Giganteum

Mist Perfume (Tester)

This easy to grow herb has the double benefits of being lovely to look at and delicious to eat!

The leaves of this quick growing annual have striking, magenta coloured stems and make an unusual ‘cut and come again’ crop.

Tree spinach imageThe tender, young leaves are great in salads, while the more mature leaves can be used as you would ‘ordinary’ spinach- we love them lightly steamed and finished with butter and a twist of pepper.

Best positioned at the back of a border or bed as it can reach up to 2m in height – tree spinach seeds freely too, giving you plants for years to come!

All the plants featured in our ‘Herb of the Week’ section are available from St Kitts Herbery, Camelford at the time of publication. Please phone us to check availability at other times of the year.

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Chocolate Tuesdays at St Kitts Herbery!

Patchouli Hand & Body Wash/Shower Gel (Pack of 6)

Bring the kids and join us on Tuesday 8th & 15th April for our first Chocolate Tuesdays of the year!

This is your chance to get hands-on with some of our delicious Belgian chocolate in a short activity session for all ages* run by our Chocolatier.

Make and take away your own:

  • Decorated chocolate lollypop
  • Moulded solid chocolate shape
  • Chocolate Jazzie button

Sessions cost £4.50 per child and will run on the hour and half past the hour from 11am to 3pm. There’s no need to book in advance, just check in at the till when you arrive.

We’ll be sharing some of the chocolaty masterpieces on our Facebook page.

* young children must be supervised by an adult

Choc tuesday 2

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Herb of the week – Blackcurrant Sage, Salvia microphylla var. microphylla

Rosemary & Bergamot Small Gift Pouch, Guest Lotion wash Pouch

We have many different varieties of sage here at St Kitts, each with different colours and fragrances. One variety that stands out is blackcurrant sage- if you thought that sage was a savoury ingredient, think again!

This deliciously fruity variety has a remarkable blackcurrant fragrance and is the perfect ingredient to pep up drinks, fruity pies, puddings and jellies.Blackcurrant sage

Blackcurrant sage has bright, berry red flowers and a fruity aroma which makes it irresistible to bees. It’s a frost tender perennial, so as long as you keep it frost free over winter, it will add colour and scent to your herb garden year after year.

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Herb of the week – Moroccan Mint, Mentha spicata var, crispa ‘Moroccan’

The herbs in our plant area are loving the early spring sunshine!

Our mints are among the first herbs to put on new growth in the spring and their fresh, green leaves are a welcome sight after the long, wet winter.

Moroccan mint

Moroccan mint is a particular favourite of ours, as it’s a brilliant culinary all-rounder: use it in vinegar for a traditional accompaniment to spring lamb, mix a few torn leaves through new potatoes or add a scattering to peas.  It’s great in drinks too- Pimms anyone?

Moroccan Mint is also our number one choice for making mint tea, which is traditionally  simply tear a handful of freshly picked leaves into a pot or mug and infuse in boiling water – the longer you steep the leaves, the stronger it will be. If you only have one mint in your garden, let it be this one! 

mint tea

 

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The Story of Rosemary & Bergamot

Though the title may give the impression that this post is about two fairytale characters (aren’t Rosemary and Bergamot brilliant fairytale names?!), it’s actually the story of how we came up with our best selling fragrance.

Back in 2003 we were approached by The Mill House who were looking for a company to develop a range of luxury toiletries for their hotel.

At that point we were a relatively new company, making toiletries, food products and herb related crafty items- take a look at the image below of some of our old packaging and you’ll see just  how far we’ve come since then!

old packaging for blog

The team from The Mill House spent a productive morning with us exploring a variety of different scent options, and out of that session came two fragrances- Rosemary & Bergamot and Pine & Lavender (which has since been discontinued).

Initially we made soaps and hair and body wash for the hotel, but the Rosemary and Bergamot scent proved so popular that we expanded the range to its current 12 items. It is now our most popular fragrance and is used by Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall and the St Enodoc Hotel amongst many others.

Often imitated, but never bettered, our Rosemary & Bergamot range is made using the finest ingredients and will leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated.

R&B 480 x 361

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Win a stay at the St Enodoc Hotel & a copy of Nathan Outlaws’ new book!

st-enodoc-3A classic seaside hotel re-invented. That’s the ethos behind St. Enodoc Hotel in Rock with its emphasis on comfort, design and great food.

Positioned above the Camel estuary with sweeping views across the water, it is the perfect place to relax by the sea. Leave the car and walk the few minutes to surrounding sandy beaches and the foot-ferry to Padstow.

One lucky winner will receive a £150 voucher to be spent on accommodation at the St Enodoc Hotel and a signed copy of Nathan Outlaw’s New Cookery Book – Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, ahead of it’s official launch on the 8th May.

 

This competition has closed.

 

 

Terms & Conditions

  • Entry is free and NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY. One entry per household. Automated entries will not be accepted.
  • The draw will be independently witnessed and the first name drawn at random after the closing date will receive a £150 voucher to be spent on accommodation at the St Enodoc Hotel and a signed copy of ‘Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen’.
  • No alternative prize will be offered and there is no cash alternative. The prize is non-transferable and non-refundable.
  • The draw is not open to employees of St Kitts Herbery or the St Enodoc Hotel, their families, agents or anyone professionally connected with the prize draw.
  • All entries must be received by midnight 1 April 2014. The winner will be notified by email or phone after the closing date.
  • By entering this competition you are giving St Kitts Herbery & the St Enodoc Hotel permission to contact you at a future date.
  • The voucher can only be used towards accommodation at the St Enodoc Hotel. Prize does not include travel costs or food during the stay.
  • Prize draw open to all UK residents. Entrants must be 18 years of age or over.

 

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Make your own – Bath Bombs

A great gift idea for all occasions (and our most popular blog post ever!), our bath bombs dissolve in a hot bath for silky smooth, fragrant bath water. Bonus – they’re exceedingly easy to make!

Ingredients:

Witch Hazel Water

Bicarbonate of Soda

Citric Acid

Essential Oil (we like lavender for an extra soothing bath, but anything you like will work!)

Dried herbs, petals, flowers or food colouring  (again, lavender flowers are it for us)

 

Moulds:

We’ve got the kind of house that always has kids running around, and of course that means kids toys everywhere – so we used a plastic ball pit ball, cut in half (ingenious, we know) as our mould. But you can use anything that has the shape you like – ice cube trays, cupcake tins, whatever you’ve got lying around.

Bath.Bomb.how.to.image

Directions:

  1. Combine equal amounts of citric acid and bicarbonate of soda.
  2. Add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice, plus any flowers or colouring you’re using & mix thoroughly.
  3. Sparingly add Witch Hazel Water (a few drops at a time) until the mixture is just damp enough to hold its shape when compressed. Go easy on adding the liquid- if you add too much the mixture will do all its fizzing in your bowl instead of your bath!
  4. Pack the mixture firmly into both halves of your mould, then push together to join. (If using an ice cube tray or similar, just make sure to compress the mixture into the mould so it doesn’t all fall apart when you take it out).
  5. Allow to set for at least 2 hours before removing from the mould.
  6. If your bomb falls apart when you remove it from your mould, it’s probably too dry- put the mixture back in a bowl and add a few more drops of Witch Hazel water.
  7. Package in some cellophane with ribbon as a gorgeous home made gift – or spoil yourself and get that bath running!