Colour it green

mead

There are so many different recipes for mead - figures given how long this drink has been made! I wanted a recipe that was relatively additive free, and, after reading through many, made up my own. When making my own wine, I don't use camden tablets or similar, just practise good hygiene and use hot water to sterilise my equipment.

The results? paler than expected, beautifully clear, medium, smooth with a honey background taste and smell. Definitely one to make again.

3 lbs honey

1 lemon

1 teabag (ordinary tea)

water

wine yeast

Empty the honey into a pan, and wash out the jars with hot water - adding twice as much water as honey. boil and skim off any foam (which will probably be wax). Add the juice of the lemon. Make a pint of tea using the teabag and add that to the pot. When cool enough for the glass to handle, pour into a clean demijohn. Fill up the demijohn with cold water, and when the temperature is down to 'warm', add 1 teaspoon of yeast. Fit an air lock, and leave it to bubble away.

When it stops working, rack off, leaving as much sludge behind as feasible. Taste. At this point I topped with sugar water as it was not tasting oversweet. Allow to work out. Rack and bottle. From begining to end, took about a year.