Glorious Ginger

My affection for ginger started when, as a girl, I ate ginger snaps. This ginger flavoured cookie is still one of my favourites. I also remember stumbling across a ginger truffle in a box of assorted chocolates - and I liked it. This innocuous root and I were firm friends from the start. One of my mementos from Australia was a jar of ginger sauce, remember? (see Bootylicious September 2009)

This week my affection for ginger deepened. I discovered that ginger tea wards off colds. Its spicy taste flames the back of your throat soothing the ache that starts there as the first sign of a cold. Its aroma is comforting to a body starting down the slope to sickness. And ginger tea helps with meeting one of those first pieces of advice when fighting a cold - drink a lot of liquids.

And that is what I have done this week. But first I peeled about three inches of ginger root. The one I actually bought to go into a curry recipe. Then I sliced it thinly. Next I added it to water in my corning ware tea pot and brought it to a boil. Finally I simmered it for 20 minutes to draw the flavour out. And that ladies and gentlemen is my cold remedy recipe. All I would add is - enjoy it in your happiest tea cup.

Oh, and with regard to that other piece of advice about colds - wash your hands frequently - I would say, why stop at your hands? Soak your entire body for as long as you can at night and then slip into bed early.