Jon has talked about the traditions of wassailing and raising a glass to the orchards; how effective this is for ensuring a successful crop is no doubt up for debate, but a glass of mulled cider will certainly lift the spirits! The spiced apple jelly is non-alcoholic and you could swap the cider and brandy for a really good apple juice. The jelly keeps well in the fridge for several months, so you can easily make a glass or two of mulled cider whenever you fancy. Either way, you will have a drink full of warming spice.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 8–10 PORTIONS
For the jelly
2l good-quality apple juice
2 star anise, broken into pieces
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
10 black peppercorns
2cm piece of root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 crisp, sharp apples, roughly chopped
½ orange
100g light muscovado sugar
For one glass of mulled cider
35–40g spiced apple jelly
200ml dry cider
1 tbsp apple brandy (optional)
1–2 drops orange bitters
thin slices of fresh apple
twist of orange peel
1. To make the jelly, combine all the ingredients in a large pan and bring to the boil, stirring frequently. Turn the heat down to a simmer and reduce by half. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave to infuse for a couple of hours.
2. Reheat the syrup, then pass the liquid through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pressing down well on the solids to squeeze any liquid out. Continue to reduce the liquid to leave around 300ml. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then pour into a sterilized jar – it should set to a light gel. The jelly will keep in the fridge for several months.
3. To serve, warm the cider with the jelly in a small pan, but do not boil; you don’t want to burn off the alcohol! Place a metal spoon in a glass and pour in the cider, stirring gently to mix. Add the orange twist, apple slices, brandy if using and bitters to finish.