How to make homegrown tea

Daniel Shane writes: A new do-it-yourself guide has provided tea enthusiasts bored with drinking the same old cuppa with some much-needed inspiration.

In a comprehensive set of hints and tips on the website for the Mirror newspaper, readers will be brewing up blends of camomile, ginger and sage in no time.

According to the guide, all the included varieties of tea are easy to grow and provide instant enrichment over pre-packed brands.

The article on mirror.co.uk said: "The fresh variety is an almost unrecognisable improvement on traditional tea bags. Plus, you can use the leftovers as a low-cost way to liven up your cooking all year round."

One of the simplest varieties to grow is mint, the website says, as it will happily grow in a number of conditions in all soil-based composts.

Leftovers of all herbs can be easily kept until next year by freezing them in plastic ice-cube trays.

Earlier this week, in her blog on the Independent's website, Emma Townshend recommended using black polythene bags to clear overgrown allotments.

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