Lemon zest

Lemon zest comes from the top layer of a Lemon’s peel. It contains natural fruit oils and adds wonderful citrus flavour to recipes or baked goods. It is can come in strips or finely grated. Zest can be added to biscuits, frosting and cakes like carrot cake and cheesecake! It can also be a fragrant addition to pasta, salad dressings and other savoury foods.

Lemon peel is made of two parts the colourful zest and white pith. The pith is bitter in taste so when you are ‘zesting’ a lemon it shouldn’t be included.

You can zest a Lemon with a fine grater, a microplane or a zester this will produce a grated zest.

Another method is to use a vegetable peeler or a knife to remove the peel, you may need to trim off the pith and cut to size after.

Remember to wash the Lemon thoroughly beforehand!

Lemon zest nutritional benefits

Lemon zest contains s large amount of vitamin C, calcium and is high in dietary fibre. Lemon zest is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium.

Vitamin C helps develop body tissue, the growth of collagen and the maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth. It also helps the body absorb iron and the healing of wounds.