FEBRUARY 2024 EDITION

I’m always pleased to reach February as it feels that I’ve got through most of winter, and that we’ll soon be able to experience lovely, long days once again. However, before we reach spring and the months beyond that, February often treats us to some fairly challenging weather. It’s worth mentioning that February also has the dubious honour of being the only month where it’s possible to not have a full moon, adding to the sense that the days are still short and dark for a while longer. I recently learned that the most common Old English name for February was Solmonath, which translates as ‘mud month’. To make the most of this month – weather and all – I’ve decided that it’s time to embrace the squelch, grab my wellies, wrap up warm and enjoy some lovely walks, perhaps taking in some of the gorgeous displays of snowdrops that are starting to appear.

TREAT A LOVED ONE WITH OUR SPECIAL OFFER

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and Mother’s Day fast approaching on the 10th March, we are giving customers a complimentary Rose Quartz Gua Sha Tool with each purchase of our award-winning Collagen Boost Face Oil. With regular use, the Gua Sha will help to improve circulation and the look and feel of the skin. As well as being a healing crystal, rose quartz has been closely associated with the human heart for thousands of years (it's widely believed that the Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Romans held this beautiful stone in high regard). It still continues to be thought of by some as the stone of unconditional love, making it a wonderful addition to this gift set.

These items will be presented together in a sustainable gift box ready to give to your loved one. The offer is valid until midday on Wednesday 6th March so that any Mother’s Day orders will arrive in time.

News from the workshop

A day for kindness

Did you know that February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day? This annual event is part of a week long celebration of kindness, during which we are encouraged to think about how we can make a positive impact on the people around us. Studies have shown that an act of generosity not only benefits the recipient but can also boost the happiness and wellbeing of the person offering kindness. Whether you choose to volunteer at a nearby charity or simply hold a door open for someone, we can all benefit from the power of kindness.

Brighten someone’s day with a complimentary gift from us…

To mark Random Acts of Kindness Day, I will send out for free a bottle of our AND BREATHE Hand Oil – Emotional Balance Blend on behalf of the first ten people that email me with the name and address of someone that they'd like to be on the receiving end of their act of kindness. I will confirm via email if you are one of those first ten, and you will then have the option of letting me know if you'd like me to include a short note in the package.

Send your email to helen@cotswoldremedies.co.uk by the end of Thursday 8th February.

This month

I’ve been reading: Making Winter – A Creative Guide for Surviving the Winter Months, by Emma Mitchell

This beautiful book is creative, comforting and inspiring in equal measure! The author, Emma Mitchell, acknowledges that winter can be a tough time for many and, with this is mind, has designed a beautiful manual of achievable creative projects to help banish the winter blues. The book covers everything from delicate silver jewellery, paper-craft decorations and crocheted mittens, to foraged infusions, delicious recipes and ideas for nature journalling.

One of my favourite discoveries has been making silver clay jewellery, a process which is pleasingly simple and yet renders such stunning results. Silver clay is a wonderful, almost magical material that is made from extremely fine particles of silver mixed with organic binders and water. You shape it like modelling clay and leave it to dry; after firing it on a gas stove to burn off the binder, you're left with solid silver. I absolutely love how easy it is to make meaningful pieces of jewellery at a reasonable cost.

Emma’s step-by-step instructions and a little online research inspired me to make a beautiful silver pendant using a shell that my daughter collected during last summer’s trip to St Ives. This short video explains the process within just one minute:

I purchased a metal clay starter kit online which comes with everything you need to get going (the 7g of silver clay provided was enough to make two silver shell pendants). Now that I have all the equipment needed, I plan to buy 10g of silver clay for £22.95 so that I can make some more nature-inspired pieces. I have well and truly caught the silver-clay bug, and it’s certainly helping to add some sparkle to these short grey days.

Imported Mediterranean citrus fruits are at their best in February due to the combination of warm winter days and the dramatic drop in the temperatures during the cold winter nights. The comforting sweet aroma of oranges leaves me feeling cheery and brings thoughts of summer to mind, making this cake just the thing to serve at this time of year. The addition of polenta even provides a good source of protein and fibre.

Ingredients

2 large, sweet oranges

200g butter

200g soft brown sugar

4 eggs

125g plain flour

75g polenta (fine is better)

2 tsp baking powder

100g natural yoghurt

2-3 tbsp milk (optional)

50g honey (optional)

Method

• Heat the oven to 180c or 160c for a fan oven

• Zest the oranges and carefully remove the pith. Slice into thin rounds (removing any pips). Butter and line the base of a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin with baking paper. Put the tin on a baking sheet

• Gently heat 50g honey with 1 tbsp water and brush this on the base of the tin (this stage is optional, but it helps to give the oranges a caramelised flavour)

• Arrange the orange slices in the base, starting in the middle and overlapping them slightly to cover as much of it as possible

• Beat the butter, sugar and zest together until pale and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, folding in a couple of spoonfuls of flour between each addition to prevent the mixture curdling. Fold in the remaining flour, polenta and baking powder, followed by the yogurt. If the mixture seems a little dry, add 2-3 tbsp milk

• Pour into the tin and bake for 45-55 mins until a skewer comes out clean. You may need to cover with foil towards the end if the top is getting too brown

It might also interest you to know that my love affair with oranges extends beyond cakes. Orange essential oil has a wide range of therapeutic benefits and I use a small amount of blood orange extract in our Collagen Boost Face Oil to promote smoothness, radiance and clarity. It’s a great oil to diffuse in the home as its uplifting aroma is known to boost the mood, and it’s also a good addition to a kitchen spray as it helps keep bacteria at bay. I suggest that if you’re just going to buy just one essential oil, this is the one to go for – it’s also very reasonably priced compared to other popular options such as Rose and Frankincense.

I will leave you now with thoughts of juicy oranges, snowdrops and silver clay, and hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this month’s edition of The Blend. Looking forward to writing to you next month when we'll officially be in spring.