That’s right: you can eat your Christmas tree. It should be added that this is in theory only as nearly all commercially available Christmas trees are sprayed with nasty chemicals that would not do anyone any good if consumed. Take a wander round your local countryside, however, and you are likely to find Norwegian Spruce growing wild (albeit most likely having been planted there once upon a time). In early Spring, green shoots start to appear and it is these soft, bright green tips that we are interested in. Nibbled straight from the tree, they have a citrus zing backed up with a unsurprising resinous tannin. We have dried and powdered the tips in order to combine this taste with the sweetness of regular cane sugar, which compliments the forest flavours perfectly.

Try simply substituting this sugar wherever you would in a dessert to really see that piney tang come through. Alternatively, you could experiment with any cocktail where sugar is an ingredient to add a foraged twist to an old classic - we reckon this works best in any sour cocktail, but have also seen success in an Old Fashioned and Mojito. Please drink responsibly and don’t get off your tree (sorry, couldn’t resist).