Rooted by Nature

It’s still so cold and grey but step outside and you will see so many beautiful signs of Spring, and I promise it’s just around the corner. It may still be time for warm blankets and candlelight but the sun is holding out a little longer each evening and descending in hues of pink and gold. The trees are budding, snowdrops are blooming and there’s so much to celebrate; Imbolc, Saint Bridget and a Celtic Triple Goddess! Join me as I explore the wonders of the Hazel tree, make a natural bird feeder, enjoy a hearty stew bubbling on the stove, tap into our intuition, dabble in tarot and finish with something satisfyingly sweet.
Instagram: @rootedbynaturepodcast

Chocolate Orange & Hazelnut Biscuits (adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe)

Ingredients

150g unsalted butter, at room temperature

200g plain flour

50g golden caster sugar

Handful of chopped hazelnuts

Zest from half an orange

50g chocolate

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan. Mix the butter, sugar, flour, nuts and zest together. Either pat into a baking tin to make shortbread fingers or pop in the fridge ready to roll and cut. Bake for 20 minutes or until pale and golden. If making finger shapes cut whilst warm and transfer to a cooling rack. Melt the chocolate and either dip, pipe or drizzle over the biscuits and then shamelessly eat them all in one go!

Recommendations

The Light Seer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne
https://lightseerstarot.com/

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Sit back, relax and enjoy the summer because autumn is just around the corner! Join me as I take a look inside a beehive and follow the exciting life of a queen bee, the warriors that protect her and the cut throat politics of the colony that can overthrow her. I delve into the miraculous health benefits of honey, how it's made and what it can do for us both inside and out. I share my favourite breakfast granola recipe to be enjoyed outside on warm sunny mornings and I try to hold on to these last moments of summer before the seasons turn once more.

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Granola recipe

Ingredients

200g of rolled oats

200g of jumbo oats

100ml of melted coconut oil

100ml of warm honey

Half a teaspoon of salt

Cinnamon to taste

100g of chopped nuts (pecans, almonds & hazelnuts)

100g of seeds (pumpkin & sunflower)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

Warm the honey and mix with the liquid coconut oil, pour over the rest of the ingredients, coat evenly and spread over a lined baking tray and pop in the oven. Bake gently, turning occasionally until lightly golden. Allow to cool before sealing in an airtight container. I like to serve mine with thick natural yoghurt drizzled with honey.
Some helpful time codes in case you'd like to listen to a certain part again

• Welcome to the beehive 02:40
• Worker Bees (warrior women) 04:35
• Male Drones out to get lucky 06:01
• Her majesty the Queen Bee 07:00
• The wonders of honey 10:19
• How is honey made 10:43
• Local honey 11:55
• Beeswax candles 13:04
• Honey's amazing health benefits 14:55
• Honey for a skincare routine 16:34
• Honey for our hair 17:23
• Honey's history 18:06
• Melissa the honey bee in Greek Myth 18:59
• Honey vs sugar 21:04
• How to make herbal honey 22:51
• How to make an oxymel 23:37
• How to store honey 24:23
• Protect our bees and help the beekeepers 25:15
• My favourite granola recipe 30:06
• Thank you for my lovely reviews! 33:33

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In this episode I’ll be talking about the autumn equinox, harvest time, foraging, moon gardening and sharing delicious recipes for elderberry cold & flu syrup and blackberry & pear crumble.
Instagram: @rootedbynaturepodcast
Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
elderberries
water
sugar
lemon, ginger or cinnamon & cloves (optional)
Method
Tip the berries into a saucepan, cover with water and simmer for 20-30 minutes on a medium heat. Sieve the juice from the berries, squeezing as much out as possible. Return to the pan with the sugar (450g to 600ml of juice) along with any additional flavourings and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Decant, cool and store in the fridge for a few weeks or freeze to see you through the winter.

Blackberry & Pear Crumble Recipe

Ingredients
75g sugar (demerara preferably)
75 butter
150g plain flour
pears
blackberries
vanilla extract (optional)
caster sugar (optional)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan. Peel, core and chop the pears and place in a buttered oven dish along with the blackberries and caster sugar if required. Put on the lid and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile grate the (fridge cold) butter into a bowl, add the demerara sugar and flour and rub together to form crumbs. When the fruit is baked, remove the lid and sprinkle over the crumble topping and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes or until the crumble top is cooked through and golden.

Reading list
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
The Glorious Life of the Oak by John Lewis-Stempel
The Wild Remedy: How nature mends us – a diary by Emma Mitchell
The Hedgerow Handbook by Adele Nozedar
The Almanac: A seasonal guide to 2022 by Lia Leendertz
The Way Back Almanac 2022: A contemporary seasonal guide to nature by Melinda Salisbury
The Herb Almanac: A seasonal guide to medicinal plants, Chelsea Physic Garden

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New year, new you? No. Rest, nourish, replenish. That's how I'm heading into the new year. Leave the resolutions for another season and let's rest our weary souls and nourish our bodies and minds instead. So make a cuppa, nestle down and let's have a chat about how topsy-turvy our world is, how to take the pressure off and find ways to feel better, align with the winter season and enjoy ourselves instead.
For more of my content find me on Substack
Feel free to get in touch:
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[email protected]
Books mentioned:
The Blackbird Oracle by Deborah Harkness
The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness
Growing Brave by Donna Ashworth
The courage to be disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi
Atomic Habits by James Clear

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February is such a tease, one day it’s blue skies and sunshine, the next it’s raining and bitterly cold. But the signs are there, spring isn’t far away. I brave the cold on a quest for snowdrops and learn a little of their folklore. My kitchen is full of baking imperfections and herbal mishaps. Join me as I curl up and dream of wildflower meadows and get lost between the covers of a good book. Keep up the cosy, we’re not out of winter yet.

For more of my content find me on Substack

Feel free to get in touch on Instagram or email:
[email protected]

Book recommendations:

England: A Natural History by John Lewis-Stemple

The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2025 by Lia Leendertz

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