Tag: How to

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Make Your Own – Dry Shampoo

In last week’s herb of the month we wrote about Orris and it’s uses, so we thought this week that we’d give you a recipe to go along with it – an easy peasy dry shampoo that will leave your hair feeling silky and smelling sweet, with minimal effort from you!

mixing-dry-shampoo

Ingredients:

10g Orris root powder

20g Arrowroot powder

20g Cornflour

Just sieve the powders into a bowl and mix thoroughly. To use, simply rub a pinch of the powder into your hair, paying special attention to the roots. For longer hair you may need to use slightly more powder, though this mix should still last for more than one dry wash. The Orris root powder will give a subtle scent, whilst the combination of powders will leave your hair feeling grease free and soft to the touch.

If you’re one of the unlucky few that are sensitive to Orris root powder, not to worry, this recipe is easily adaptable. Just substitute the Orris root with a few drops of essential oil to give the dry shampoo a sweeter scent; the arrowroot and cornflour will still leave your hair feeling fab!

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Make Your Own – Face Cleanser

Looking after your skin can be expensive and time consuming, but often the products we use are unnecessary.  We at St Kitts believe skin care should be simple, easy and uncomplicated – no need for special beads dug from an ancient burial sight somewhere far across the galaxy that guarantee to leave your skin feeling ‘just delightful!’ and your pocket decidedly empty. The staple of every skin care routine, as far as I’m concerned, is a great cleanser. This easy recipe for fantastic cleansing oil is both a versatile and cheap way of achieving glowing skin.

bottles-for-cleanser

Ingredients:

80mls coconut oil

10mls jojoba oil

10mls calendula oil

This mixture of oils forms the perfect addition to your routine, softening and moisturising your skin. Coconut oil is hydrating for the skin, it contains mild anti-bacterial properties and naturally clears dirt and dead skin cells that can clog pores and lead to blemishes. As well as soothing and softening the skin, calendula oil is a great anti-inflammatory, meaning it is fantastic for acne, ulcers, rashes and eczema amongst other skin issues. Jojoba oil is actually a liquid wax, known to be the ‘oil’ that most closely resembles sebum (which is produced by the skin naturally). This makes it fantastic for helping to regulate the production of sebum, thereby reducing the likelihood of oily skin.  As with the coconut and calendula oils, jojoba is also hydrating and moisturizing, making the three a perfect combination for clearing pores and freshening tired skin. Best used at night, this is a ‘one size fits all’ product. It is also virtually scentless, so those of you with a sensitive nose can still benefit! It also works as a great base for more specialised cleansers – if you suffer from acne or blemishes, try adding a drop of lavender (also great for relaxing before bed!), for oily skin add a drop of geranium for its skin balancing properties and for dry skin give a drop of frankincense a try. This product will fast become your go to, we promise!

 

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Recipe – Tikka Paste

January is over and February’s well on its way, but it still just isn’t quite spring. It’s this time of year that I find myself most in need of a pick me up, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. For me, diet is always a contributing factor to my mood, so my pick me ups come in the form of deliciously healthy meals. This week’s recipe comes after racking my brains (and rooting around the internet) for something to lift my mood and wake up my brain – something that I’ve discovered turmeric is great for! Also known as ‘Indian saffron’, turmeric is a staple spice in a lot of Indian cookery.  This easy recipe for a tikka paste not only contains this fantastic spice but is also extremely versatile.  It can be used for paneer or chicken skewers, as a standard curry paste, to spice up a soup or add some flavour to a rice salad.

Ingredients:

½ tsp ground turmeric

10 black peppercorns

6 cloves

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp garlic paste/ minced garlic

1 tbsp ginger paste/ minced ginger

½ small onion

150g natural yoghurt

½ tbsp. tomato puree

1 tbsp gram flour

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Dry fry the peppercorns, cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and poppy seeds in a frying pan, stirring constantly just until you start to smell the spices. Remove them quickly to avoid burning and grind straight away. This can be done in a Vitamix or other blender for ease, or with a pestle and mortar if you’re more traditional!  Once ground to a fine powder, add in the chilli powder, ground cardamom, ground turmeric, garlic paste, ginger paste and onion. Blitz in a blender until a paste begins to form.  Stir in the yoghurt, tomato puree, gram flour and oil, until well combined. That’s all there is to it!

To make paneer or chicken skewers, use the paste to marinate the paneer/chicken before grilling. For a curry, use in place of shop bought curry paste and add coconut cream for a richer meal. For soups, use a small amount in place of stock. Or experiment and come up with your own uses – let us know what masterpieces you create!

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Make your own – Bath Salt

It’s that time of the year again and Valentines Day is fast approaching. Whether you’re looking to make a gift for that special someone or just want to relax and take your mind off the whole holiday, this bath salt recipe is guaranteed to hit the spot.

Ingredients:

½ cup baking powder

¼ cup Epsom salts

1 drop rose absolute oil (or try geranium but you will need a little more of this)

dried rose petals (optional)

bath-salt-2

Epsom salts are most easily found in your local chemist.  First mix together the baking powder and Epsom salts, ensuring they are completely combined.  Add the drop of oil and stir thoroughly – there should be no lumps or clumps and the salts should change colour to that of the oil.  This could take quite a while but not to worry; if you are using petals add them now, that’s all there is to it!  Sprinkle the salts into a hot bath and relax.  If you’re not a fan of the heavier, floral scents then replace the rose absolute oil with a few drops of the essential oil of your choice (note that other essential oils may not alter the colour of the salt and will still need thorough mixing).

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Recipe – Gremolata

Herbs can be in short supply in the garden at this time of year: although there still seems to be plenty of parsley around. Gremolata is a great way to make use of this herb. This super easy, extremely versatile recipe will use up all that parsley hanging around, plus give you a garlic-y hit – always necessary over winter.

finish-gremolata

Gremolata

Ingredients:

2 cups (500mls) parsley

4 tbsp (60mls) finely grated lemon rind

2 tbsp (30mls) garlic

Chop the parsley and garlic until very fine, if you have a Vitamix this will do the job for you, then mix together with the finely grated lemon rind. This spread can be used in all sorts of ways too; freeze in an ice cube tray and then use to season stews and soups, mix with cream cheese for a delicious cracker spread, use as a garnish or mix with breadcrumbs for stuffing or coating. My personal favourite is mashing with butter, smearing on bread and then toasting in the oven for quick and delicious garlic bread. In a sealed container, kept in the fridge, this spread should last a while so you can have the chance to try it all sorts of ways!  In fact here is a great variation using walnuts.

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Make Your Own Body Powder

So Christmas is over and we’ve said our ‘happy new year’s – but if your family is anything like mine, it’s already time to start thinking about birthdays. Gift giving is never harder than for January birthdays – after all, you’ve already used up all your ideas (and money) on Christmas! Not to worry, we’ve come up with some ideas so you don’t have to – and best of all, they won’t break the bank! This week’s favourite is this cheap and easy recipe for a luxurious scented powder.

powder in progress

Ingredients:

1 measure dried thyme

1 measure dried rosemary

1 measure ground cinnamon

1 measure orange peel

1 measure orris root powder or cornflour

half measure arrowroot powder

This recipe really works best if you’ve got a grinder – just stick it all in and whizz it ‘til it’s smooth! You can even make your own dried orange peel by putting your fresh peel in a hot oven until it’s dry and crinkly.

If you don’t have a grinder then not to worry, just use ground cinnamon, orris root powder and arrowroot powder for a simpler but no less delicious version.

 

This is a fantastic product to use in place of talcum powder, or just to add a lovely scent to your skin. Let out your creative side when it comes to the packaging – it will look gorgeous in a recycled kilner jar, or even just bundled in some muslin with a pretty ribbon.

finished powder

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Christmas Cocktails Rose Delight

It’s our final Christmas cocktail before the day itself and this is one of our favourites! This Rose Delight is a wonderfully fruity drink with an unusual floral twist – and so easy to make! Inspired by our Summer Rose fragrance range, this cocktail is fast becoming a signature drink in our household. For a sophisticated yet playful theme, why not give this a go?

rose-cocktail-glass

Ingredients:

2 measures Rose Syrup

2 measures White wine

Sparkling water to taste

It’s best to use a large measure and make this in a jug, just mix together the wine and rose syrup then add sparkling water to taste.  Alternatively – for a stronger flavour – use sparkling wine and leave out the water.  Decorate with a sprinkle of petals and a straw.

Seasons greetings everyone  from the St Kitts Herbery team.

 

 

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Christmas Cocktails Festive Fruit Cup

It’s week two of our Christmas cocktail concoctions and the turn of the fabulous Festive Fruit Punch. No matter how much you enjoy Christmas, it’s undeniable that the winter can be cold and miserable. This fruity cocktail is guaranteed to give you that hit of summer we all need to see us through!

festive fruit punch glass

2 measures crème de fraise (raspberry liquor)

2 measures crème de cassis (blackcurrant liquor)

1 measure vodka

1 measure sugar syrup

3 measures cranberry and raspberry juice

6 frozen raspberries per glass

Pink sugar crystals (optional)

This cocktail really is best shaken (resisting a James Bond joke here!), simply pour all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and mix well, before straining over your frozen raspberries. This drink looks its best in a traditional cosmo glass – to decorate the rim, dip in lemon juice and then pink sugar crystals. Voila, you can serve summer for Christmas!

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Christmas Cocktails Chocolate Alexander

It’s December and Christmas is on its way.  To help you celebrate in style this year, we’re going to be posting one of our favourite cocktail recipes every week this December! To start you off is the ‘Chocolate Alexander’.  Created when I was still a teenager and alcopops weren’t yet around, we made our own of whatever we could.   I can’t drink quite so much of this these days, but I still give it a good go!

chocolate alexander glass pic

1 part vodka

1 part crème de cacao

1 part tia maria (or similar)

1 part baileys (or similar)

chocolate milk (chilled) to taste

It’s really easy too – just stick it all in a glass and give it a stir!  For an extra pretty touch, garnish the glass by melting some chocolate and dipping the rim of the glass, then quickly dipping in chocolate vermicelli and leaving to set.  Cinnamon chocolate works great for this if you’d like a Christmassy twist, you can also replace the Tia Maria with an orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier.  Or try Amaretti instead of vodka (or as well as vodka, we won’t tell anyone).

(Warning: This is a lot more alcoholic than it tastes  – not to be confused with regular chocolate milk!)

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Ginger Chocolate Biscuits

As the days get shorter and winter draws closer, there’s nothing better than tucking up with a cup of tea and a homemade biscuit.  Since its chocolate week it’s only right that it should be a chocolate one.  Chocolate biscuits have always comforted me and this recipe gives them a warming ginger twist.

 

Ingredients:

125g Ginger chocolate

180g Plain flour

1tsp Bicarbonate of soda

125g Butter or margarine

125g Caster sugar

1tsp Vanilla extract

1 Egg

250g Chocolate chips

100g Crystallised ginger, diced

Method:

– Preheat the over to 170C/Gas mark 3

– Break up the chocolate and melt in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted.

– In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

– Stir in the melted chocolate.

– Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

– Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Stir until thoroughly combined.

– Stir in the chocolate chips and crystallised ginger until spread evenly throughout the mixture.

– Line a baking sheet and scoop out the mixture into equal portions about 6cm apart. Do not flatten them.

– Bake for 18 minutes and test with a skewer. If it comes out wet with batter, continue to cook until the skewer comes out semi-clean.

– Leave to cool for 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool again until they have hardened.

Don’t forget to enjoy with a cup of tea!