Herbal Cupboard

Spiced Rose Hip & Apple Cup

Name: Spiced Rose Hip & Apple Cup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: Six small cups
Ingredients: 1 litre (4 cups) cloudy apple juice, unsweetened; 3 tablespoons dried rose hips (cut and sifted), or a handful of fresh hips, halved; 1 cinnamon stick; 4 cloves; 2 star anise; 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed; 2 slices of fresh ginger; A wide strip of orange peel, or a few pieces of candied peel; Honey or orange syrup, to taste; Orange slices, to serve

A warm, spiced cup in the spirit of mulled wine — with rose hips and apple, and no wine at all.

1 October 2026Autumn Winter

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This is what simmers on the stove from the first cold evening in October until the end of winter. It has everything you want from mulled wine — warmth, spice, the smell filling the house — and none of the alcohol, so everyone at the table can have a cup, from the smallest child up.

Rose hips give it a deep red colour and a sour brightness that keeps it from being too sweet.

Plants in this recipe

Rose Hip

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Spiced Rose Hip & Apple Cup