In Summary

Flavours: Hay Meadow, English Garden, and Hedgerow

Price: £8.00 per jar on a monthly subscription, or £8.95 one-off purchase via the Land Girls Website.

Founded: This is a female-led business set up in 2020 by farmer, Emma, who is based in Rutland. Emma comes from a long line of fiercely independent female farmers and was taught by her grandmother how to sow seeds and watch them grow when she was a child. Her business now advocates for women farmers, producers and makers.

Suitable for: Coeliacs, Vegetarians and Vegans. The products are also caffeine-free.

Review

As the nights draw in it is definitely cosy season. This means I am surviving by keeping a regular stream of warm drinks. As someone who works from home, keeping warm, cosy and hydrated is incredibly important and as my boyfriend can confirm, I, therefore, drink a lot of tea.

Unlike most tea drinkers I am actually caffeine-free which means I am always looking for herbal teas to add to my roster.

I love that Emma’s business is one that is both female-led and nurturing of the women they work with. As someone who grew up in a rural community in Devon, I’ve lived a life around farmers. My great-grandmother once apparently steered a herd of cattle from Staffordshire to Shropshire (or the other way around) at the age of about 10, so although I’ve never been lucky enough to grow up on a farm, strong female farmers are also in my blood.

Said great-grandmother went on to have 12 children (my god!), lost her husband, and built a farm and a pub single-handedly!

What I’ve learnt is that what we consume is incredibly important. Knowing where our produce comes from and ensuring that the people working along that entire production line are well looked after and fairly paid is a vital part of that. Land Girls have this at the heart of their ethos. They look after everyone along the process and they champion the producer.

The teas are actually foraged by Emma’s friend Kate who is both a herbalist and fellow shepherdess and is based in Sussex. She ensures that all the herbs and botanicals are carefully selected; each flavour is meant to bring you right to the heart of the British countryside.

I’m happy with the environmental credentials too. Not only are these teas British made and British grown so you’re cutting down on air miles, they’re also loose-leaf and in glass jars. With loose-leaf, you’re not risking tea bags that are not biodegradable and the glass jars are recyclable. The jars are a great size so you could simply re-use them to pick up essentials at your favourite zero-waste shop.

Foraged Tea - Hedgerow

The Hedgerow contains hawthorn, nettle, cleavers, dandelion, and elderflower. There’s a lot of health benefits associated with these ingredients, particularly to detoxify; hawthorn supports a healthy liver, whilst nettle and elderflower are anti-inflammatories that are fantastic for both hay fever and flu season.

This tea to me tastes quite grassy and outdoorsy but also has a pleasant sweetness from the elderflower.

Foraged Tea - English Garden

English Garden is very aromatic and contains lemon balm, rose, heather, chamomile and calendula. Again there are lots of lovely health benefits including the aid of sleep and relaxation from the lemon balm and chamomile. This tea has a lovely sweetness to it, and a nice hint of citrus from the lemon balm.

I’m someone that enjoys a sleepy tea and although this is absolutely lovely any time, this would be a fantastic replacement to one of my bagged teas. If I had to choose a favourite it would definitely be the English Garden. It’s similar to teas I already enjoy and feels very comforting.

Foraged Tea - Hay Meadow

This is basically harvest season in a cup and, as the name suggests, has a warm grassiness. This contains yarrow, cornflower, wild marjoram, dandelion and vervain. Again, these ingredients all have properties that help to ease stress and anxiety as well as some detoxifying properties.

This one definitely does what it says on the tin and has the taste and smell of a hay meadow that’s been freshly cut. It’s very herby and certainly feels very healthy.

In Summary

British foraged herbal teas with some extra added health benefits.

For fans of: Herbal teas from the likes of Pukka and Neal’s Yard.

Perfect for: A cosy night in, some warmth while working or studying from home, or even a summery iced tea.

Places to find it: You can buy these via the Land Girls shop and some farm shops and small independent stockists.

Written by Alice Hargreaves

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