By Olivia Wong

Turmeric Milk with Honey and Ginger

2021 has finally arrived – hurrah! It’s taken its time but alas, we are now safely in its warm embrace. To celebrate, we would like to bring you a bonus Winter Warmer as a way of welcoming in the new year. So here is Turmeric Milk with Honey and Ginger (also known as Golden Milk), a nourishing beverage that is perfect just before bedtime. We already know how good ginger is for us. Apparently, during the 13th and 14th century, you could buy a sheep in exchange for 1 pound of ginger. Did you know that there is also a place called Ginger Island? However, the name is very misleading as it is uninhabited and so, not only will you not find any redheads there but no ginger is cultivated either (how dare they go putting ‘ginger’ in the name!). Meanwhile, turmeric is all the rage due to its many reported healing properties. It also has a wide range of other uses, from helping to get rid of unwanted excess body hair and enhancing skin complexion at Indian pre-wedding ceremonies to being a potent antivenom for King Cobra bites. So quite useful if you’re hairy or find yourself in a hairy situation with a snake…

How to make

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 2 1/2 cups of almond milk
• 1 tbsp honey 
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 small pinch of black pepper
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

Method (Preparation time: 2 mins; Cooking time: < 15 minutes)

1. Place all ingredients (apart from the ginger and honey) into a saucepan and bring to a light boil. 
2. Add grated ginger and stir.
3. Whisk and reduce heat to simmer for about 10-12 minutes. 
4. Strain the milk through a fine mesh strainer and add honey to taste, stirring to dissolve completely.
5. Serve straight away.

N.B. My version above differs slightly from the original recipe in that the ginger is added once the milk is hot, as adding raw ginger to cold milk may cause it to separate. 

In case you don’t like the taste of turmeric (and you don’t anticipate being attacked by a King Cobra anytime soon), there’s a non-turmeric version. This very relaxing video shows you how to make it (I never knew watching someone grate a piece of ginger could be so calming….and the super smooth way the honey segues onto the spoon like that – literally the most pleasing thing I have watched this whole year). Now, before I……zzz……zzz……zzzzz…

P.S. Fancy a chance at winning a £10 Costa gift card?

Have a go yourself, take a picture and send us your Winter Warmer creations on Twitter @UoMHive or email me (jason.chu@manchester.ac.uk). We’ll be publishing a different hot drink recipe every day so try your hand at one you fancy!

The winning picture will be randomly selected from all entries received. Closing date for entries is 8th January.

(Feel free to make and submit as many different Winter Warmer drinks!)

Winter Warmer # 1: Minty Hot Chocolate Float

Winter Warmer # 2: Nutmeg and Orange Xmas Coffee

Winter Warmer # 3: Snowman Eggnog

Winter Warmer # 4: Terry’s Chocolate Orange hot chocolate

Winter Warmer # 5: Matcha Latte

Winter Warmer # 6: Ginger Pear tea

Winter Warmer # 7: After Eight Peppermint hot chocolate

Winter Warmer # 8: Mulled Apple Juice

*Bonus Winter Warmer* : Turmeric Milk with Honey and Ginger