Green juices are currently the virtuous and de rigueur alternative to coffee or tea. Not only nutritional powerhouses; they can taste pretty delicious too, provided you get the ingredients combination right. To inspire guzzlers of green juices, Watercress has teamed up with nutritionist Dr. Sarah Schenker to develop three surprisingly tasty green juices using the peppery leaf.

Watercress is a superfood and more than deserves this status. Gram for gram it provides more vitamin C than oranges, more iron than spinach and more vitamin E than broccoli. It’s also brimming with calcium. The plant, which grows in mineral rich spring water, drawn from deep under the chalk downs of Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire, earned its reputation as a healing herb early in human history.

Around 400 BC, Hippocrates located the first hospital on the island of Kos close to a stream to ensure that fresh watercress would be available for treating patients. In the 17th Century herbalist, Nicholas Culpepper, advocated the use of watercress as a spring tonic to cleanse the blood. Green juice blends of vegetables and fruits are known for their slimming, anti-ageing and health-boosting properties. In addition, they are a delicious way to increase vegetable consumption – perfect for veggie-phobic kids and adults alike! ·

Blending raw vegetables and fruits means there is no damage to the nutrients caused by the cooking process. · A fresh green juice beats a packaged juice because most packaged juices are pasteurised which knocks out much of the nutritional value. · Green juices with higher proportions of vegetables than fruit are much lower in sugar than pure fruit juice. The following green juice recipes will shake up your taste buds and give your body the vitamin and mineral boost it needs, especially during the cold dark Winter.

Pep-per up your diet with these super green watercress juices

WATERCRESS AND KIWI JUICE
The kiwi juice is very high in vitamin C; watercress, kiwis and oranges being 3 of the highest sources, which is important for immunity and helping protect against infections this winter. If you are unlucky enough to get a winter cold this juice can help minimise the symptoms and reduce the duration.

• 50g watercress
• 2 kiwis, peeled and chopped A few mint leaves, torn
• Juice of 1 orange or 125ml fresh orange juice
• Juice of 1 lime

Place everything in a blender and whizz together. Or if you have a juicer, process the watercress, kiwi and mint together, then stir in the orange juice and lime. Pour into glasses and chill until ready to serve.

WATERCRESS AND POMEGRANATE JUICE
As with watercress, pomegranate juice is rich in antioxidants. Studies show that it can help prevent heart disease and has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial qualities.

• 50g watercress
• 50ml pomegranate juice
• 50ml grape juice
• 25ml water
• 1 Sharon fruit

Peel the Sharon fruit and roughly chop. Place everything in a blender and whizz together

WATERCRESS AND MELON JUICE
This juice provides low gi carbohydrate so can help you to manage your appetite by keeping your blood sugar levels more stable.

• 50g watercress
• Half a Galia melon, flesh removed and chopped
• 125ml apple juice
• 2 tsp of ginger paste
• Pinch of cinnamon

Place everything in a blender and whizz together

For more recipes visit watercress.co.uk