Hot Potpourri: The French Alternative

In winter heaters can dry out a room, as well as your skin and lips. A sachet of hot potpourri simmering on the stove puts moisture back into the air and perfumes the whole house.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 1 whole nutmeg, crushed into chunks
• 3 whole cinnamon sticks
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
• small squares of material such as muslin or cheesecloth (or you could use an old stocking)
• matching ribbon

Don't worry if you don't have all of the ingredients listed above, just use whatever you do have. If you like the smell of aniseed you could also add some star anise, or some chopped up lemongrass for a fresh, lemony scent. Other options include fresh ginger root (chopped up) or grated orange peel dried in a warm place for about 24 hours.

To make

Open out your squares of material and place some of the ingredients in the centre of each. Gather the sides of each piece of material together and tie firmly with the matching ribbon. Make sure to leave two long strings of ribbon on the sachets so you'll be able to hang them up.

To use

Place a sachet in a saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer on the back of the stove for about half an hour. Be careful not to let the pot boil dry, and make sure the kids can't pull it off the stove. Next, take the bag out, and hang it up to dry. You can use these sachets about four times, as long as you dry them out well each time.

Further information

All ingredients are available from your local supermarket. Cost: less than 50c per sachet.

Copyright CTC Productions 1999