Ingredient: Lemon

Lemons are bursting with lots of natural vitamin C and make most things you pair them with even more delicious! They are probably one of my favourite ingredients ever, and I pop them in my shopping trolley every week.

From squeezing them into water, or over salmon, a herby chicken or hummus, to becoming the star of the show in a salad by using them in a dressing, lemons are a welcome and zingy addition to almost any meal. Fabulous to use at this time of year, to help activate the pectin and set your blackberry or plum jams. Mother Nature’s preservative, it can help stop apples, other fruit and pesto from going brown, and lemon juice naturally extends the shelf-life (and cuts through the sweetness) of home-made elderberry syrup.

The zest never goes to waste either, and I love to grate this into cookies, muffins, granola, waffles and pancakes as well as to finish off chicken and fish dishes.

Not only are lemons full of immune-bolstering vitamin C but they are also a reasonable source of potassium and vitamin B6.