On cold nights greet visitors with a welcoming, warming drink GlWEIN 2 litres medium red wine.

an orange sliced with peel.

2 slices lemon with peel.

6 cloves 1 cinnamon stick.

Put all ingredients into a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Serve in heated glasses. Sweeten according to individual taste by adding brown sugar and stirring in the glass.

************************** Use plenty of lemons. The antioxidant properties of the high vitamin C in this fruit is good for all of us, to speed healing and ward off illness and signs of ageing. Lemons were originally grown in Burma and India where the juice was used as an antiseptic, and a tonic. Lemon juice was applied to stop bleeding and relieve diarrhoea. The pectin in lemon peel lowers cholesterol.

Honey. I was interested to hear recently of someone being treated for a badly ulcerated leg; the medical experts had tried several types of treatment to heal the ulcers without success, then it was suggested that they should apply honey. They applied a dressing of honey and were surprised to see an immediate improvement, within a relatively short time the ulcers were healed. The Egyptians used honey to heal wounds and ulcers and this was recorded in a medical text from 2600-2200BC. in the ancient Smith Papyrus. Honey is given as a recipe for traveller's diarrhoea by the World Health Organization. My grandmother always made up a honey, cinnamon and lemon mixture for coughs and sore throats.

Cinnamon. Powdered cinnamon added to a hot drink with lemon juice and honey is good for poor circulation, catarrh and tickly cough. Cinnamon has a range of properties it is a tonic, an antiseptic, a decongestant, an energiser.

Parsley. Years ago I met a man who made all kinds of home-made wine, in his kitchen there was always a small wooden barrel in which he kept his parsley wine. He always said that a small glass of that wine was a recipe for good health. There was a lot in his theory, parsley is rich in vitamin C and contains iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, sulphur, copper and silicon. Is has antiseptic properties which can help to combat infections and reduce fevers. Did you know that if you chew some parsley leaves, it removes the odour of garlic and strong foods from your breath?

By Rosalind M Parish