Ingredients:

Apple juice

3.5 pints

Mixed sweet and bitter apples

3½ Lbs

Pears

2¼ Lbs

Root Ginger

1 oz

Pure honey

9 oz

(or granulated sugar)

8 oz

Brewed strong tea

1 tablespoon

Pure lemon juice

1 tablespoon

Pure orange juice

2 tablespoons

Yeast starter bottle

Water to 1 gallon

Method :

Cut into chunks (including the skin, core and pips) and either mince them or add to a press the apples and pears, let the juice pour into a previously sterilised brew bin, discard the pulped material.
Pour the apple juice straight into the brew bin.
In the pan dissolve the honey (or sugar) into 2 pints of simmering water.
Bruise the ginger with a roling pin/ hammer or morter & pestle and add to the water.
When cool, discard the ginger and add the contents of the pan to the brew bin together with the strong tea, lemon & orange juice.
Make up to 1 gallon with cold water.
When the brew is down to 21° or cooler - add the contents of the yeast starter bottle.
Stir and cover.
Stir once a day until the brew has completely fermented out (use hydrometer to check or when the bubbles have stopped rising).

Clean and sterilise a demi-john or plastic narrow-necked jar (1 gallon capacity).
Strain fermented brew into it.
In some cold water add a compden tablet, dissolve and add to the jar.
Put a bung into the neck with either some cotten wool or an airlock.
Leave 7 - 12 days or untill all ferntation has ceased (ie when pubbled have stopped rising) Another method is to syphon off a small amount onto your tongue - if it fizzes then fermentation has not stopped.
Once stopped. Clean and sterilise another demi-john, syphon off the cider into it (leaving the sediment at the bottom).
Add an air-tight bung and cover with a small square of polythene (this is to ensure that if there is any sugar left fermenting the bug doesn't fly off and let the cider come into contact with air and bacteria).

After all fermenting has ceased, clean and sterilise a demi-john, syphon off the cider (leaving the sediment at the bottom) into the clean demi-john, bung it up with an air-tight bung and leave in a cool place (about 10° to clear and mature) for about 3 months, or until you can stand it no longer).

Another racking (transferring (syphoning) into a clean sterilised container or demi-john, leaving the sediment behind) may be necessary before consuming.