Hail to royals of the hedgerow

The versatile rosehip can be put to a host of culinary and medicinal uses, says Kitty Scully.

In the days before vitamins were sold in jars, people relied on the autumnal abundance of mother nature to fend off winter colds and flus. In this regard, rosehips are the royals of the hedgerow. These vibrant red swellings not only brighten up winter hedgerows but are esteemed for their edible and medicinal merits as well.

A rosehip is merely the fruit of a rose and like the majority of fruits, most of the food value and nutrition lies in the skin of the rosehip. They contain higher percentages of vitamin C, vitamin A, iron and calcium than that of oranges, lemons and blackcurrants.