Wassail recipe: 2 pints and 1/4 cup dark ale (Winter ale) or Cider 3-4 cinnamon sticks 4 cloves Zest from 1/2 lemon 4 apples 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1 cup port (or Brandy if using cider) 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground all spice 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Preheat your oven to (175C /350F )
In a large sauce pan, pour in 2 pints of ale. Add the cinnamon sticks, lemon zest and cloves and bring to a simmer over low heat.
Take an apple, and score it with a knife around the circumference of the apple. Place in a baking dish. Repeat this step for all of the apples. Cover with one cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of ale, and all of the port. Cover baking dish and place in oven, cooking for 30 minutes.
While apples are baking, place remaining sugar and spices into the sauce pan, ensuring it's well mixed.
When apples are done baking, place entire contents of baking dish into sauce pan. Allow to cook over a low heat for another 30-40 minutes.
Serve hot, one-two ladles into your favourite mug. Serves 6-8
Then an incantation is usually recited such as:
'Here's to thee, old apple tree, That blooms well, bears well. Hats full, caps full, Three bushel bags full, An' all under one tree. Hurrah! Hurrah!'