It is lavender season in Hertfordshire, and I was recently given a huge bag of lavender picked from a local field in Hitchin. After making several beautiful vases full of dried stems, I was left with a large bag of small pieces and lavender seeds. I decided to make it into homemade lavender water.
First I put the lavender stems into a large metal steamer and covered them with boiling water.
Then I put the next layer of the steamer onto the pot and inside I put a smaller heatproof glass bowl.
Next I turned the lid of the steamer upside down and filled it with ice. As the ice melted, I replaced it and put the melted water back into the bottom pot. 
I put another layer of foil on top to catch any further drips. As the hot steam rises from the bottom pot, it turns back into water on the lid, and then this drips down into the glass bowl where I collected it. I then turned off the heat and left it to fully condense before removing the bowl and decanting it into a bottle for use as a toner.
The finished result
