My Lavender bushes have been flowering beautifully this month and I have already been harvesting those wonderfully scented heads to make a very delicious liqueur and for drying to use later to fill my sweet, little, handmade bedtime bunnies. I just got my regular delivery of fairtrade, organic cotton for the pink bunnies and I have been washing and drying my vintage blue and white French linens for the other ones. They look so wonderful draped on the washing line in the sunshine, catching these summer breezes.

If you’d like to order a bedtime bunny you can go to the ‘crafts’ section of my website and choose one there. Children and babies love to fall asleep to the scent of lavender! And if you’d like to make the Lavender & Apricot liqueur, you can follow the recipe below. A bottle of this summery drink will always be a welcome gift to friends….

250g of granulated sugar
350ml of dry/semi-dry white wine
2/3 sprigs of lavender
250g fresh apricots, halved & stoned (you can substitute with dried apricots but make sure you soak them well beforehand)
150ml eau de vie

Put the sugar and wine into a saucepan and heat gently until dissolved, then add the lavender and apricots. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently until the apricots are tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the eau de vie. Leave to cool.

Pour into a large jar or bowl, cover well and leave it to infuse for a week in a cool place.

Strain the liqueur through a sieve lined with a double layer of muslin and then pour into sterilised bottles. Seal and store in a cool dry place for a month. Decant liqueur again, this time through coffee paper, into freshly sterilised bottles.

This liqueur is heavenly just on its own but you can also mix it with Champagne or Cava for a fabulous cocktail.