Saturday 12 September 2015

Shakespeare's Sisters

As its name suggests, Shakespeare's Sisters Soap Company is based in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, but many of the ingredients for its products come from Camas Inas on Ardnamurchan. This is because proprietor Judith has a house at Camas Inas, and spends time here every year both collecting and distilling local plants.

As well as making soaps the company is producing what it calls an 'aromatic mist', and....

....a view of the back of the bottle gives a list of ingredients. Two particularly interested me.

Bog myrtle doesn't sound like the ideal ingredient for spraying on oneself, but it's well-known as an insect repellent, and is even reputed to deter the Highland midge. It also has a pleasant, resinous smell when crushed between the fingers.

The other seems an unlikely ingredient from this cool, damp Scottish climate....

....lavender. However, when we first planted our front garden we included a few lavenders, but held out little hope for them. In the event, while some died, others thrived, and are still going eight years later, much to the joy of the local bees.

There's more about Shakespeare's Sisters here.

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