I have been following the trials and tribulations of posh priest the Rev. Peter Owen-Jones in 'How to Live a Simple Life' on BBC Two. Reverend Peter undergoes a life swap, following in the steps of St Francis of Assisi with poverty and charity as the guiding doctrine for a life more meaningful.
We see him beg for food outside Waitrose, washing dishes at a restaurant and foraging on the Sussex Downs in a quest to forge an inner life richer than the outer one. One sentence sticks with me from the programme, in the words of Saint Francis, 'Take only what is necessary', a poignant maxim to live by in our age of rampant and mindless consumerism. Making good use of some of the needless things in my kitchen, I used up a surfeit of jasmine tea and an over-abundant mint plant in this recipe.
Serves 2
1 tablespoon green or jasmine tea
A couple of stalks of fresh mint
300ml of clear apple juice
2 tablespoons white sugar
Ice cubes to serve
Put the tea leaves and a couple of bushy sprigs of mint (sprigs rather than leaves so you can remove them after the tea has steeped) into a heat-proof measuring jug. Pour on 300ml of freshly boiled water and leave for 6 minutes to steep. Remove the mint sprigs and pour the brewed tea through a fine meshed seive into another measuring jug. While still hot stir in the sugar until dissolved, then add the apple juice. Stir to mix and store in the fridge in a sealed bottle. Pour over ice cubes in tumblers to serve.
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