Sloe Sloe Quick Quick Sloe!

Hurrah! It feels like summer! Just been away with friends to Middleham in North Yorkshire for a dog walking weekend. Middleham is a lovely village overlooked by the ruins of the Castle with only the sound of horses hooves disturbing the tranquil setting. We did a circular walk starting and ending in the village one day and then walked from beautiful Jervaulx Abbey the next.

The key to making these walking weekends a success is having the right provisions. A good picnic or a decent pub en route are essential elements plus a quick sugar-boost when needed. Our go-to snack is a shot or two of Sloe Gin and a nice chunky slab of flapjack.

I have previously shared my flapjack recipe so here's my Sloe Gin Recipe:-

- In Autumn pick sloe berries (from the blackthorn trees). These should be picked after the first frost but can be gathered when you see them (and before someone else does) and then frozen to break down the tough skin. Some recipes say you have to prick the skin with a needle but I think life's too short and freezing works well.

- 1lb sloe berries

- 1 litre gin (use a fairly cheap one)

- 8oz caster sugar

- place berries, sugar and gin into a large sterilised jar, seal and shake well

- place jar in a cool dark cupboard and shake regularly - every day for a week

- after a week, shake once a week for at least the next month

- store for several months (the longer the better) shaking occasionally

- when you can wait no longer, strain the gin through a muslin cloth and pour into sterilised bottles

- enjoy it straight-up, add prosecco for a Sloe Royale or google a recipe for Sloe Gin Fizz