🌱🌱🍹

Split up a supermarket basil plant (this will work for other supermarket herbs as well)
Carefully replant into individual pots
Harvest leaves from the tops to encourage bushy growth
Water in the morning (they don’t like having wet roots at night!)

For more information on growing basil visit the RHS

Stoots Basil Smash

The Basil Smash is quite a famous cocktail (I didn’t make it up!)

Smash a handful of basil leaves with 1 tbs caster sugar (I don’t have a pestle and mortar so I just use a wooden spoon and sturdy glass!)
Add a glug of vodka or gin
Add the juice of half a fresh lemon
Pop in some ice
Cheers! 🍸

And apparently the basil in your drink could also be giving you many, many additional benefits….

Reduce memory loss associated with stress and ageing
Reduce depression related to chronic stress
Reduce stroke damage and support recovery, whether given before or right after a stroke
Improve fasting blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides
Reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension
Relax blood vessels and thin your blood, similar to aspirin
Protect against aspirin’s damage to your gut, particularly preventing ulcers
Prevent certain cancers, including of the breast, colon and pancreas
Increase mental alertness when inhaled as aromatherapy
Inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause dental decay
Improve food safety if integrated into food packaging by manufacturers
Provide an alternative to antibiotics for infectious diseases, including combating antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria
Repel insects, such as mosquitos and ticks

Stoots