Someone smart recently told me that if you don’t like tea, you’re not civilised. He might be right, but his tea-drinkers’ argument mentioned nothing about liking tea hot or cold. And I like it cold. Cold, iced, chilled, delicious with honey, apple juice, ginger, any old ingredient lying around in the kitchen really. And to top it all, tea’s healthy too. In 2006, British nutritionists claimed that tea was even healthier than water because of its re-hydrating and illness fighting properties. So here’s looking at iced tea and how you can make it in seconds. Fight this heat with my two favourite, super easy and refreshing iced tea recipes.

Lemon Almond Iced Tea (recipe serves 12)
Ingredients:

1. Boiling water – 4 cups
2. Black tea bags – 10
3. Lemons – 2 sliced thin
4. Sugar – 1 cup (go easy if you don’t like things too sweet)
5. Almond extract – 1 tbs
6. Vanilla extract – 2 tsp
7. Lemonade – 10 cups

Method:

1. Brew tea, and steep for 10 minutes.
2. Squeeze and add the lemon slices to a pitcher.
3. Add sugar.
4. Pour in and mix the tea.
5. Chill.
6. Add the extracts and lemonade just before serving.

Ginger Iced Tea (recipe serves 8 )
Ingredients:

1. Tea Bags – 5
2. Water – 1 quart
3. Fresh ginger – 1 inch piece sliced into thin pieces
4. Sugar to taste

Method:

1. Crush ginger.
2. Heat the water and steep the tea bags in it with the ginger.
3. Steep over a simmered flame for about 10 minutes.
4. Once done steeping, strain out the ginger and tea bags, and add to a pitcher.
5. Add sugar and stir.
6. Cool well and serve over ice.