Homebrew from the hedgerow
A series of recipes for making wines and beers from unusual or foraged ingredients by River Cottage foraging expert John Wright
How to make 'slider' - sloe cider
'Slider' is cider plus sloes left over from making sloe gin. John Wright navigates another potentially slippery slope
How to make ginger wine
Ginger wine takes a while to ferment, so start some now and it'll be there to warm you up come winter
How to make épine
As the British use the berries of the blackthorn to make sloe gin, in France an aperitif is flavoured with the leaves
How to make dandelion wine
The humble and underappreciated dandelion has medical and culinary uses, foremost among which is flavouring a fine country wine
How to make gorse wine
Dazzlingly yellow with the flavour of coconut, gorse flowers make a wonderfully rich, full-bodied country wine
Home-smoked vodka: an experiment
A WoM reader wondered whether you can add smoky flavours to drinks at home. John Wright was only too pleased to investigate. Cautiously
How to make metheglin
Adding flavouring to a mead creates this ancient drink, says John Wright
How to make birch sap wine
The sap won't be rising for a few weeks, but when it does you need to be ready to tap it
How to make orange beer
John Wright's recipe for an excellent, light, fresh beer, ideally suited to the relative abstinence we all subject ourselves to in January
How to make mulled cider
When it comes to mulling cider, tradition is not always the best guide. John Wright tracks down a worthwhile winter warmer
How to make gin Alexanders
The addition of a not uncommon hedgerow plant can make all the difference in your gin and tonic, says John Wright
How to make parsnip wine
John Wright's recipe for a wine that stays true to its roots
How to make chestnut liqueur
Taking inspiration from southern Europe, John Wright puts an oft-overlooked ingredient to good use
How to make sloe gin
John Wright: For a drink with only three ingredients, sloe gin is the subject of an unfeasibly large body of advisory literature. The key, however, is patience
How to make dandelion and burdock beer
Dig for victory and your reward will be a very British root beer
How to make cider
With a few apples and a little effort you can have a delightful cider ready for Christmas
How to make blackberry wine and whisky
Two recipes which take maximum advantage of one of Britain's most abundantly foraged fruits
How to make żubrówka
John Wright: Start a stampede with some home-brewed bison-grass vodka – or crop one of the alternative wild grasses currently in bloom
How to make Viking heather beer
Feeling needy for something meady? Our hedgerow homebrewer is here to spread a liking for the Viking
How to make rowanberry wine
The fruit of the rowan or mountain ash is left untouched by bird and beast alike, but there is one very good use for these bright red berries
About 29 results for Homebrew from the hedgerow 
