Lemon Iced Green Tea

Fresh, cold iced tea is at the top of my list of go-to beverages these days. While I used to dislike the hot weather (bit weird, I know) I think working full time in an office has allowed me to truly appreciate the outdoors, especially when the sun is out. 

Now, when it is hot and sunny, even when I get home from work, there's nothing I love more than lying in the hammock with a good book and a glass of homemade iced tea to sip. This time it's green and lemony, probably my 'healthiest' homemade iced tea yet.

You can use black tea if you'd prefer - or any tea for that matter. A caffeine-free berry tea would be my next choice.

Recipe for lemon iced green tea

Serves 4

Ingredients to make one jug:

• One lemon
• Three green tea bags (use lemon green tea bags for an extra lemony flavour)
• Sweet freedom/sugar to taste 

1. While you're waiting for the kettle to boil, slice up half of your lemon and pop the pieces into a jug along with the tea bags.

2. Fill the jug almost all the way to the top with boiling water. Squeeze the juice of the other half of the lemon into the jug.

Enter my favourite food discovery of the year - Sweet Freedom. I've used this to bake blueberry muffins, iced coffee, lime and mint iced tea and as a topping for my pancakes and it.is.amazing. It is a syrup made entirely from fruit, which makes it slightly better for you than refined sugar. You don't need to use as much Sweet Freedom as you would with sugar as it's naturally sweeter, so even though the bottle is quite small, you can get quite a lot out of it.

Anyway, I use this to sweeten my iced tea as it makes me feel like I'm drinking something that's good for me. I added about two tablespoons to the jug and gave it a good stir - it can sink to the bottom if you don't stir properly and get it all dissolved.

3. Pour the tea into a big bowl and add a load of ice. Stick it in the fridge to chill. This is the worst bit for me. I get so impatient.

When your tea is cold (woohoo) pour it back into the jug and add more ice. Give it another stir, pour into glasses and enjoy your tasty, homemade, healthy-ish lemon iced green tea. 

Will you be making iced tea this summer? What's your favourite iced tea flavour? I'm hooked on the stuff - I even poured some of this into a bottle to take to work. I don't know what I'll do when winter comes around...