Cider recipe: how to make cider

Ingredients

3.5kg/8lbs of apples 9 litres of water Between 1.8kg-3.6kg/4-8lbs of caster sugar depending on how sweet you like cider 30g/1oz root ginger Juice of 4 lemons Empty re-sealable bottles Method

Cup the unpeeled apples into small pieces using a plastic knife (contact with metal of any kind will spoil the cider).

Place the apples in a plastic pot of boiling water. Make sure that the water covers all of the apples.

Put the mixture aside for two weeks. Return to the mixture every so often to crush the apples. Keep an eye out for mould.

Drain the liquid into a bowl and mix in the ginger root, lemon juice and sugar. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves.

Add 120ml of boiling water to the mixture. Place the mixture aside again for another two weeks. During that period, check the mixture every night and carefully remove any scum that forms on the top.

Pour the mixture into the bottles and seal the tops tightly. The tops should be sealed to the point where you can still unscrew them. Set the bottles aside for two days.

Completely tighten the tops. Put the bottles in a cool, dark and dry place for the next two months.

Enjoy!