How to make water mint tea

As the name suggests, water mint flourishes in wet ground, and for this reason it can be found growing around lakes, rivers and ponds.

Like the common mint plant, it has leaves with serrated edges, but unlike mint, they are tinged with purple and are deeply veined.

The edible parts of the water mint plant are its leaves, which have been used in herbal remedies for thousands of years.

Water mint is perennial, so the leaves can be harvested at any time. The youngest leaves have the best flavour, so aim for these if you want a strong minty quality.

More foraging recipes by Chris Naylor: 

• How to make dandelion syrup (pictured)
• How to make wild garlic pesto