With our love of food friendship and fun – The Big Lunch team are very much looking forward to the party season.

This is a simple reuse idea which is sure to make your home smell inviting over the holidays and its also a lovely way to spend time with young people creating a beautful gift that costs very little.

Choose a suitable sized bowl or plate to use, if you do not want to use one you already have, you will find something suitable at your local charity shop.

Take 2 medium sized oranges. Insert whole cloves into the skin of one orange. The sharp ends of the clove pierce the skin easily. Use at least 25 cloves. Sit the orange on the ribbon. Bring the ribbon ends up to the top of the orange and tie a bow.  Sit this orange in the middle of the plate to be surrounded by your  potpourri.

Then carefully slice the other orange thinly in circles use a tea towel to dab the moisture from them and lay them in a tray. The oranges should go into the oven on a low heat and should be turned every 40 – 60 mins, it usually takes about two hours to dry them.

Tip: just use the oven when its cooling down after your dinner. once dried the oranges can be used in a number of ways, from potpourri to tree decorations or as additions to table decor.

Combine anything you think will work from your cupboard, or go for a walk in the woods and forage for cones nuts etc. I use petals, bay leaves cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, dried apple, orange rind,monkey nuts and pinecones in a large jar (coffee or cooking sauce jars work well). Seal the jar and allow the ingredients to combine for at least a week.

 Shake the jar and remove the lid to allow the potpourri scent to be released into your home. Close the jar when you are finished to keep the scents from drying up too fast. This is great if you just want a little scent in your home, but to increase scent just grind some of the elements or even add a few drops of essential oil; and to maximise the scent add a handful and 3 cups of water to a saucepan and simmer to create a heavenly smelling home.

Make it a gift 

This can be a simple but fantastic little gift for children to make, they can cover the lid in fabric and tie with string or ribbon, decorate a label or even paint the jar.

My son is only six but he helped with each step of this journey and he’s very excited about giving his gifts this year, they mean much more when you make a little effort.

Enjoy!