One of my favourite things about autumn and winter is using our log burner in the living room. There is honestly nothing more cosy than watching a film, snuggled under patchwork quilts, with the fire crackling and flickering specks of reds and oranges around the room. Last winter, we seemed to use a lot of horrible petrol smelling fire lighters. This year I want to use healthier, and more beautifully scented home made fire lighters.
A few weeks ago I cut down some self seeded hazel branches that were unwanted. Knowing I didn’t want to waste this beautiful wood, I decided to turn it into home made fire lighters. Hazel is a pretty fast burning wood which makes them perfect for firelighters, especially when dried. Once cut, I clipped each branch into smaller twigs of about 15cm long and strew them onto the top of an unused plant pot. The plant pot was in full sunlight for most of the day, and so hopefully the twigs would dry quickly:
Once dry, I picked some sprigs of rosemary, about the same size as the twigs and gathered some scissors, some string and many empty loo rolls. Rosemary has a very clean pungent smell and will leave behind a wonderful lingering scent:
Each loo roll I filled with as many twigs as I could stuff in. I pinched the middle of the loo roll in to make it easier to tie:
I added a sprig of rosemary, tying it onto the loo roll:
I made a heap of them and displayed them in a basket:
I will be making more to fill the basket up in preparation for next winter:
Aren’t they beautiful?