Hugh F-W's Ginger Beer

There's lashings of Hugh's famous fizz all round on River Cottage Every Day

Hugh: "For this, you will need screw-top, 2-litre plastic bottles, which you have cleaned thoroughly using sterilising tablets."

Makes 2 litres

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ tsp brewer's yeast
• 225g caster sugar
• 1½-2 tbsp finely grated fresh root ginger
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 good tbsp honey

METHOD

How to make ginger beer

1. Add the yeast to the bottle. With a funnel, pour in the sugar.
2. Mix the grated ginger with the lemon juice and honey.
3. Pour the ginger mixture through the funnel into the bottle. Now fill the bottle about ¾ full with water, put the cap on and shake the bottle until all the sugar is dissolved.
4. Top up the bottle with water, leaving a 2.5cm gap at the top, to allow for production of gas. Cap the bottle tightly, then place it somewhere warm. Leave it for about 48 hours. Once the bottle feels very hard and has no give in it, your beer should be ready.
5. Place the bottle in the fridge for several hours to stop the yeast working. Once the beer is thoroughly chilled, pass it through a fine sieve and serve.