Herb syrups

I make these syrups through the year but especially as summer fades and the flavours will otherwise be out of reach until spring and beyond. Many herbs carry their best into a syrup – lavender, mint, lemon verbena, sage, rosemary and orange thyme are my favourites. Do try scented pelargoniums too. Although inedible in themselves, they easily release their aromatic loveliness into sweet syrup.

There’s a bit of experimentation in finding the ‘right’ amount of each herb that works – th