The Lead-up to Litha

Celebrating the Summer Solstice a little early - and some personal news 🌿

Next month marks Litha or Midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere on 20th June and as it’s the last Sunday of the month, and I’ve a little personal news to share, scroll to the end of this post to find out why I’m sending my Solstice newsletter sooner rather than later!

The ancient festival celebrates the longest day and shortest night as the Earth tilts closest to the sun. Here in Scotland, if there wasn’t another yellow rain warning, the evenings would seem endless! This time of year in the Celtic Wheel traditionally celebrates light, sun, growth, fire, fertility, warmth and abundance. For me, marking such ancient celebrations acts as an antidote to the hustle and bustle of everyday life, a reminder of the bigger picture, the rhythm of the seasons and forces larger than ourselves. This Summer I’m planning on slowing down more than ever. Here are five ways that I’ll be celebrating (albeit a little early) – I hope you join me.

Midsummer Flowers

Midsummer is traditionally a time of wearing and decorating with flowers so it’s the ideal excuse to get gathering and fill your house with simple jam jar posies of wildflowers. Blooms are abundant everywhere at the moment, from hedgerow to woodland, garden to roadside. Find your local grower if you can and support sustainable flowers for British Flowers Week next month. If you’re in Edinburgh and have followed me for a while you’ll know that Ochre Botanical Studios is a local favourite. Recalling the floral folklore and celebrations of Litha at Midsummer, there are step by step instructions for how to make a Midsummer flower crown in my book, Slow Seasons - a fun activity to make at home after foraging for your own wildflowers, and perfect to wear at a Midsummer party.

Summer Reads

To get you in the mood for Summer, there are so many great books set on or around Midsummer; it’s a time rich with symbolism and the possibility of the endless Summer days to come - ideal for a little literary escapism if the weather is not living up to expectations. Of course I always think of A Midsummer Night’s Dream around Litha (and have taught the play so many times I know sections by heart), and recently watched the Russell T Davies production online - a little cheesy but equally thought-provoking. There are so many novels that say Summer to me: as well as classics like The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird I think of traditional children’s stories like The Secret Garden and Charlotte’s Web and more recent reads such as Atonement and Bitter Orange. Are there any books that remind you of Summer this way?

Seaweed Pressing

If you’re not such a flowery person, there are plenty of other natural sights to look out for at this time of year - and even preserve. Seaweed is often overlooked; I only really started to appreciate the different shapes and varieties when I found out that you can press and preserve it, and began to admire the range of organic textures, colours and creative potential this natural material provides. It’s something that feels so nostalgic to me - though I may be biased as I grew up by the seaside, I feel the sea is part of my very soul. There’s a whole section on different seaweeds you can spot in Slow Seasons as well as step by step instructions for how to press seaweed to make into art - a popular Victorian pastime and one that has seen a resurgence in recent years.

Fire and Feasting

Traditionally it was believed that ‘witches were abroad’ at this time of year, so people would light fires to ward off evil creatures and celebrate the sun. If you managed to stay awake all night in the middle of a stone circle, you might see the “Fae” or faeries, and be blessed with good luck the year round. Candles or a bonfire are an easy way to introduce Litha’s symbolism. You could host a garden gathering around a fire pit if you’re lucky enough to have one, or look for local beach bonfires to celebrate in the community. Somehow, food eaten outdoors seems to taste better: a picnic lunch or mezze supper is pure indulgence at this time of year (apparently it’s International Picnic Day next month too). There’s no better treat to mark Midsummer than a delicious homemade feast outdoors by the fire. Keep it simple with seasonal salads, bread and dips and fresh berries for pud – guaranteed crowd pleasers.

Elderflower Foraging

The Celts would also celebrate Litha with the other sort of gathering. Foraging was essential at this time, especially herbs, which Celts were said to forage for their magical properties. Elderflower is pretty magical to me, and I love using it in cordials and non-alcoholic champagnes as well as pickles and preserves. Somehow there are no elderflower recipes in Slow Seasons (there were so many ideas I ended up having to leave out in the end!) but here’s my bonus recipe for strawberry and elderflower Victoria sponge (there is also a rose and strawberry Victoria sponge in my book that has been getting rave reviews from my followers on Instagram!)

To make the cake, you will need:

175g sugar
175g butter
175g self-raising flour
3 large eggs
2 tbsp elderflower cordial

For the filling:
Strawberry and elderflower jam – approx 6 tbsp.
200ml double cream.
(Alternatively, you could use standard strawberry jam and fold a tablespoon or two of cordial through the cream to get the flavour instead).

Preheat the oven to 160C Fan. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time along with the cordial and a little flour.

Fold in the rest of the flour until fully incorporated. 

Pour the mixture into two 20cm lined tins and bake for approximately 25 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once baked, allow to cool a little in the tins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Spread the jam on top of one of the sponges.

Whip the cream to stiff peaks (be careful not to overmix) then spread on top of the jam.

Place the other sponge carefully on top of the filling. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

And now, the reason I’m thinking about the lead-up to Litha so early…! If you follow me on Instagram, you may have heard that I’m due to have a baby soon and officially finish (teaching) work for maternity leave next week. I love writing my monthly newsletter all about seasonal celebrations, but I want to practise what I preach, slow right down and be fully present in this season of life. I always want to share quality content and put a lot of time and thought into these posts and pictures, and I wouldn’t want to compromise on that either! For the same reason, as I shared with my paid community yesterday, I’m going to pause paid subscriptions for the moment (which means you won’t be charged while it’s paused).

I plan to return to my weekly subscriber posts and monthly newsletters once I’m at the end of the fourth trimester around Mabon, the Autumn Equinox. If you’re subscribed to either my free or paid posts, you don’t need to do anything - you will hear from me directly in your inbox as soon as I start posting again (so maybe a good idea to pop in your email address below if you’re not already subscribed so that you’re first to hear when I’m back!).

I will miss writing to you each week and month, but really hope you understand! I hope you all have a wonderful Litha when it comes, and watch this space for updates.

In the meantime, you can find more seasonal recipes, crafts and lifestyle ideas in my book, ‘Slow Seasons’, which you can order here. Rosie xxx