Photographs by Sandy Roberts
Cheers to your health!
Need to rejuvenate or simply boost your health? Whip up a soothing, natural tea, made from herbs and spices. Try these three tea recipes from Margaret Roberts’ book Tea: 60 Teas to Revitalize & Restore.

Fennel Slimmers’ Tea

What You Need
¼ cup fresh fennel leaves
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp apple-cider vinegar
¼ cup basil leaves
Method
Pour a cup of boiling water over fresh fennel leaves and seeds. Stir and allow to steep for five minutes. Strain and add apple-cider vinegar, mixing well to combine. Add basil leaves and serve. Drink one cup or two daily for 10 days, stop for four days, then continue. This tea works as a detoxifier – drink a cup after indulgent eating.

Antioxidant Lemonade

What You Need
1 cup honey
6 cups hot water
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 to 3 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Method
Dissolve the honey in the hot water. Add the lemon juice and zest. Mix well. Chill overnight and serve with ice. Serve hot in winter if you have a cold or sore throat. You can add sage leaves, cloves and Echinacea petals to this basic lemon tea. Add a dash of brandy to make an evening hot toddy.

Aniseed and Orange Soother

What You Need
2 tsp aniseed
orange zest
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tsp honey

Method
Pour one cup of boiling water over aniseed and zest. Steep for five minutes. Simmer the orange juice and the honey over a medium heat for one minute. Stir to dissolve honey. Add the aniseed tea to the orange juice, stir for one minute, then strain. Sip slowly to soothe a tired throat. Add a single star anise to the tea to add a delicious liquorice flavour. This will work well as a natural cough medicine. It’s also an old-school remedy for halitosis.
Check out these 5 bedtime beverages that can help you lose weight. Plus: 4 sweet treats so healthy they’re basically salads…