At this time of year, the combination of the cold weather, and a seasonal addiction to nutrition-deficient carbs can leave us feeling a little run-down. That and 'The Swine' lurking around every corner and you are positively DOOMED, sliding down a phlegm-moistened slope to days of pyjamas and daytime TV.
But, this is also the time of year when you get the opportunity to rinse your company for all the christmas-party booze you can handle and all manner of other social festivities, so not a good time to get sick.
As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure, and this delicious brew of Manuka honey, lemon and ginger is just the ticket for keeping disease at bay. Manuka honey is famed for it's anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, so eating or drinking it regularly will help to combat germs that lead to colds. It also has wonderful stomach settling properties, making this a brilliant for hangovers following the aforementioned pursuits. All Manuka honey has a UMF (unique manuka factor) which denotes the strength of its healing properties, so it is worth going for one with a high UMF such as Golden Hills Manuka Honey which has a UMF of 20+.
Lemon gives this tea a delicious citrus flavour whilst also filling it with cold fighting vitamin C. Ginger helps sooth a sore throat, but is also a wonderful stomach settler, great if you're using this recipe to fight an 'allergic reaction to booze'.
I'd wholly recommend making this in a teapot of you have one so that you can let the bits of lemon and ginger float to the bottom and drink a nice, clear tea. If you don't have one, just sieve it, or deal with the bits. If you do go with the rustic, 'bits' approach, leave out the lemon slices, just use the juice.
Ingredients (serves 1)
500mls of boiling water
1 teaspoon of Golden Hills Manuka Honey (or other good quality manuka honey)
1 lemon
1 inch of ginger, grated
Directions
Slice the lemon and squeeze the juice into a teapot. Add a couple of wedges of the squeezed lemon and the grated ginger.
Pour over boiling water and leave to stand for 3-5mins.
Stir in the Manuka honey and pour into a cup. Drink and wait to feel like Popeye.