Lemon Balm 500g

Dried and chopped Melissa officinalis leaves, Lemon Balm has a delicate lemony aroma and a mild, minty citrus flavour, gentler than lemon verbena and rounder than lemongrass. Most people brew it as a caffeine-free loose-leaf tea: a heaped teaspoon per cup, water just off the boil, five minutes covered so the aroma stays in the pot. It works hot or poured over ice with a slice of lemon. In the kitchen, lemon balm goes into syrups and sorbets, into fruit salads and custards, and into herbal blends alongside mint, chamomile or nettle.

Key points:

• Mild, minty citrus flavour with a delicate lemony aroma
• Brew as a caffeine-free loose-leaf tea, hot or iced
• Also used in baking, desserts, syrups and herbal blends