The practical journal

Ideas for bringing remarkable plants into everyday life.

Preparation-led articles for people deciding what a botanical tastes like, how to use it and which form belongs in their kitchen.

In our kitchen

Gotu Kola in Smoothies: Taste, Thai Roots & a Recipe

From Thailand’s fresh-leaf drink to a mango–lime smoothie: how to use gotu kola powder and balance its strong, grassy bitterness.

In our kitchen

A simple way to explore moringa’s leafy flavour: banana and mango bring sweetness, while oat drink gives the smoothie a soft texture.

Makrut lime · rind, leaves and cooking

An intensely fragrant citrus peel that brings the character of freshly grated lime zest to both savoury dishes and desserts.

Blue tea · tested iced-tea recipe

Exact amounts for a clear blue infusion, a vivid lime colour change and fresh ways to make the mild flower taste its best.

Black ginger powder · practical preparation

A practical guide to the earthy, warming character of Thai krachai dam, with realistic amounts, whole-powder context and simple ways to use it.

Aromatic leaf · hot and iced tea

A gentle caffeine-free infusion whose character is carried by sweet-green fragrance rather than strength or bitterness.

Javanese long pepper · an Isaan kitchen treasure

A characterful Southeast Asian pepper whose gentle heat, warm sweetness and lingering aroma can turn an unfamiliar spice into an everyday favourite.

Sand ginger · names, flavour and comparison

Three related-looking rhizomes are often confused; their botanical identities and kitchen characters are not the same.

Butterfly pea tea · taste before the recipe

The colour is dramatic; the flavour is deliberately quiet. Here is what to expect before choosing or brewing blue tea.

Makhwaen · Nan Province mountain spice

A guide to the names on European spice shelves, the differences that matter and the citrus-and-pine character of our Northern Thai Makhwaen.