This project is going to have its high points and and slump points- in fact there have been a good few of both of these already.

But here’s something to celebrate…The making of Sloe Gin. Never done this before but it is now set to become a ritualised annual event.

I have always found it too sweet but the lady who used to own the land has made it from the sloes for years and she kindly dropped round one of her last years bottles to try and gave us her recipe – its ever so simple:

Wash and dry the sloes and freeze them in a single layer in the freezer. This causes the skins to split once they have defrosted again and is an alternative to the more long winded process of pricking each berry.

Fill a Kilner jar one third full of sloes and one third full of sugar and fill to the top with Gin. Then, over the next few days, shake it up until the sugar all dissolves.

And then leave it. Apparently its that simple but its best if left for a year.

She picked the sloes this time last year and then froze them until about February and made the Sloe Gin then – but it is still pretty delicious even after 6 months or so. I find keeping it in the fridge and drinking it ice cold makes the sweetness more acceptable.

We are making our own this year using the proportions she has given us – but maybe in future years we will try reducing the quantity of sugar? We have used whatever Gin was on a special offer since we felt that the quality of the gin is unimportant when you are doing this to it. However, one of our daughters is very sensitive to Gin brands and will not be pleased to see Gordons going in. Hopefully, though, she will be able to overcome her misgivings enough to have a little test snifter of this come Christmas….