This is a new page where we hope members will share recipes. These are some from Anne MacClelland for starters.

Mead, Melomel and Ales

Mead

• Dry Mead. Standard recipe                                                                                                                            

3 lbs honey

6 pints water

1 teaspoon yeast nutrient

sparkling wine yeast or high sugar tolerance yeast

yeast nutrient

Dissolve the honey in the water; Add all ingredients to a demijohn and fit an airlock; keep in a warm place (About 22C). When fermentation is less vigorous top up with water to within an inch of the bung. Continue fermentation until naturally finished, rack and store in a cool, dark area. Rack again as required. Takes 2-3 years before drinkable. Specific gravity should be just under 1000.

For Sweet Mead start with 4lbs honey.

Melomels are fruits fermented with honey to produce wine. Most fruits can be used but blackberries have a very high tannin content and produce an astringent wine only mellowed with years so not popular. Melomels can be sweet or dry and colour varies with the fruit.

Either blackcurrants, redcurrants, raspberries - 4 pounds of fruit

2 lbs honey (3 for sweet)

Pectolase

¼ teaspoon grape tannin

Juice of ½ lemon

1 teaspoon yeast nutrient

yeast

Rohamet P

water

Crush fruit in bucket, add 5 pints of water, pectolase and Rohamet and leave in warm place for 48 hours. Then add 1 1b of honey, yeast nutrient, lemon juice and tannin; then add yeast and keep mixture in a warm place. Once fermentation has been going for 3 days strain from pulp into demijohn, add rest of the honey and top up with water; fit an airlock and finish fermenting. Rack as required and store. Allow to mature for 2 years. Dried fruit recipes advise 1 lb fruit to gallon.

Honey Ales

• Ale Mead reputed to be a poor man's drink in origin as less costly and ready to consume quicker than mead.

1 lb honey

1 ounce hops

juice of orange or lemon

yeast (beer yeast)

yeast nutrient

Simmer honey, juice and hops for 45 minutes in 6 pints water. Strain into a bucket; add 2 pints water and leave overnight. Add yeast and nutrient. Skim daily until ready to bottle. Ready to drink in 3 months.

• Braggot is an ale type drink using malt and honey. Very few recipes have survived. General rule is 1 1b of malt extract to 1 1b of honey. Boil the two in 7 pints of water for15 minutes skimming the surface whilst boiling. Transfer to bucket and when cool add juice of lemon and ale yeast. Skim surface as for beer brewing and when fermentation finished rack and leave for 3 months before use. Recommended to serve chilled.

• Boiling honey destroys honey aroma and flavour so modern methods recommend adding honey at the end of the boil or at the height of fermentation to preserve honey taste and aroma. Modern recipes also use a ratio of 4:1 malt to honey and some hops to give flavour and dryness.

• Lamb's Wool is pudding as well as a drink. Core 4 large apples, place on baking tray and fill with honey; sprinkle with nutmeg and a little cinnamon; pour 4 pints of beer over and bake in medium oven for approx 45 minutes, spooning the beer over the apples from time to time. Strain for food and drink.