Speedy Apple Cider

Speedy Apple Cider (based on a recipe from www.harvington.org.uk)

• 1.5kg cooking apples
• 6 litres water, boiled and cooled
• 1kg white sugar
• juice and finely grated zest of three lemons (You don’t need yeast as there’s enough in the apples)

Place the apples in tied plastic bags and put in the freezer. After 3 days, thaw them for a couple of hours until you can chop them into pieces. Put the pieces – peel, cores and all, through a blender or food processor.

Put the pulp in a clean 10-litre plastic bucket and add the cold water. Cover with a tea towel and leave for 7 days, stirring morning and night.

Strain through muslin; discard pulp and pour juice back into the bucket. Add sugar, lemon zest and strained lemon juice.

After a day it will start fizzing as the yeast in the apples converts the sugar to alcohol.

Wait a couple of days for the fizzing to die down, then strain through muslin again and pour into plastic screw-top bottles. The cider will be ready to drink in a week.