Gourmet Today

31 We visited Stephanie, founder of Botanika Natura, while she was making a fresh batch of prickly pear soap. It is one of those ingredients we tend to take for granted in Malta, growing along roadsides and in fields across the islands, but Stephanie has found another use for this familiar fruit. Her work begins much closer to home than most skincare products. Stephanie grows many of her own ingredients on the land, without chemical pesticides, and picks the herbs and flowers herself. These are hung upside down in the drying room, where bunches of flowers line the walls while they dry naturally. Their oils are then slowly infused using traditional methods before making their way into her products. Nothing here is rushed. Her soaps are made in small batches using the cold-process method, which involves careful preparation and a lengthy curing period. When making prickly pear soap, Stephanie even makes use of the seeds, breaking them down to release their oils before incorporating them into the mixture. Beeswax from her own hives, natural clays and plant butters also feature in her creations. Each ingredient has its place, and the same care goes into the finished product as into growing and preparing the raw materials. Stephanie is equally mindful of what happens after a product leaves her workshop. Botanika Natura uses plastic-free packaging, with an emphasis on natural ingredients, cruelty-free products and reducing waste wherever possible. But she is not keeping all this knowledge to herself. Stephanie also welcomes visitors to her home and workshop for sessions where they can learn more about botanical ingredients and have a go at making their own products. It is a chance to see first-hand how much work goes into something as seemingly simple as a bar of soap. If you would like to discover Botanika Natura, browse the products or find out more about the workshops, visit botanikanatura.com. And keep an eye out for Daisy, Stephanie's dog, who is very much part of the welcome.

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