Today’s recipe is for a quick and easy so delicious fruity summer drink, strawberries and cream fizz, which will make you feel super summery and fantastic. And my celebration of abundance of fruit and summer flowers too. They go so well together it’s like… strawberries and cream!
Opposite our house is a lovely sensory garden in the most wonderful park, it’s just stunning. All year round it has so much to offer, my favourite is autumn and winter when the hills rise up all around through the branches, with wonderful views from the higher wooded parts of the park, but the summer flowers are just glorious, and so many people are happily enjoying the space, paddling in the stream and lounging on the grass. Once the gardens to a now gone stately home it has beautiful trees, woods, a walled garden, and a stream that flows through fresh and pure from the Peaks.
I spent time recently photographing the flowers in the scented garden, nothing serious just enjoying them. I often walk past, stop and smell, take a leaf from a herb plant and crush it in my hand, most often my all-time favourite the abundant lemon balm, which brings back in a powerful instant a world of happy summer childhood memories of the garden I grew up in and brings me happily alive with its scent. Taking photos I find is such a good way of slowing down and spending mindful time enjoying things. If you can enjoy the simple small things, like a bee or a hover fly on a flower or a tree or the pattern of a leaf then you can find happiness in so many places.
This is where Dan and I plan to have our own early morning ceremony come our wedding anniversary in August. It’s one of my favourite places. In the spring it’s lined with blossom and is always just such a magic space, I love it. I’m thinking a silent ceremony if that will work. Words come so easily and can be so over-used, it’s the meaning behind them, the human connection and commitment to each other’s welfare that is important  ♥
I spotted someone’s dream man, sitting reading Sartre in the sun…
I would normally hold back more on the photos but today is all about celebrating abundance!!
Get out there when you can while the sun shines and enjoy the flowers, they’re nature’s smiles ♥
and don’t forget lashings of strawberries and cream!Â
- 2 cups strawberries
- 2 cups coconut solid from can of coconut milk
- 3 heaped tbsp natural sweetness, fruit sugar, agave or whatever you like
- 25 drops of stevia extract
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract/ paste
- fizzy mineral or soda water
Freeze the strawberries and chill the coconut cream and blend them together with the rest of the ingredients bar the fizzy water. Fill half a glass and top with fizz.
You can use non frozen strawberries and non chilled cream for a less float style drink that is totally delicious too.
If you don't have stevia then use more sugar to your taste. Stevia is great though no calories alkaline and super delicious, especially when in pure liquid form and combined with natural sugar.
You can also leave out the fizz, fill a glass with 3/4 strawberries and cream mix and top up with cold nut milk for a delicious milkshake too.
SONG OF THE WEEK… Traveling Wilburys  ‘End of the Line’
Such beautiful pictures 🙂 it sounds lovely having all that beauty so close. Loved the strawberry fizz too 🙂 🙂 looks so summery and refreshing. a big hug to you Amy
Hey Inês! Thanks! Yes it is so lovely, makes real contrast with where we used to live in the city too, it just feels like a dream sometimes I really love it. Big hug back xx
I loved all the beautiful garden photos, Amy! It looks like the perfect spot to hold your wedding 🙂
Hey Sarah! Thanks yes it’s so lovely, just be me and Dan though just a little wedding anniversary thing 🙂
What a beautiful garden! And what a delicious drink! Strawberry and coconut is such an awesome combo <3
Hey Evi! I know, and we’d been waiting for the sun to come out for SO LONG!!! I love strawberries and coconut 🙂
Love all the photos, just beautiful. Plants are so comforting, thanks for sharing. ☺
Hey Heidi! Thanks yes I find them so 🙂