Traditional Lambswool with Brandy

Lambswool is a drink traditionally served for 12th night (January 5th) or Epiphany (January 6th), and often used to bless the apple trees in traditional wassailing ceremonies. It is also sometimes served on All Hallow's Eve or Halloween (30 October).

Similar to mulled ale or cider, the Lambswool name comes from the look of the fluffy cooked Bramley apples which rise to the top of the drink. Some think that Lambswool was served at the ancient Celtic pagan festival of La mas ubal (pronounced lamasool), roughly translated as ‘The Day of the Apple Fruit, and that's how the drink ended up with its name as we know it today.

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The apples have to be Bramleys, as they are the variety of apples which will break down when cooked and become fluffy - you'll know this if you make apple sauce. I've never found another apple variety which will go fluffy like Bramleys, no matter how much you cook them.

You can make traditional Lambswood with ale or if, like me, you're not a big ale fan, you can also make it with cider.

Traditional Lambswool with Brandy Recipe

To serve 8-10 people

Ingredients you will need

• 6x Bramley Cooking Apples

• 1.5 litres of still cider (find a beginner's guide to making your own cider here) or real ale

• 150g sugar, brown is nice

• Plenty of freshly grated nutmeg

• a 2.5cm (ish) piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated

• Brandy to serve if liked. It's particularly nice to serve apple brandy with this.

Equipment you will need

• An apple corer

• Aluminium foil

• An ovenproof dish in which to bake the apples

• A large saucepan

• A stirring spoon

• A spoon to remove the apple pulp from the skins and a fork to mash it

• A handheld blender, the stick blenders are easiest

• Heatproof glasses or mugs.

1. Preheat your oven to 190 degrees C/gas mark 5.

2. Core the apples and stand them in the baking dish.

3. Cover them with foil, put in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes until soft. Leave them to cool for a while.

4. Put the cider/ale into the saucepan with the sugar, nutmet and ginger. Heat gently until the sugar is dissolved, stirring all the time so the sugar doesn't catch.

5. Spoon the apple pulp out of the skins, mash with a fork and add the apple to the saucepan.

6. Simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.

7. Just before serving, use the hand-held blender in the saucepan to break up the apple fully.

8. Serve in heatproof mugs or glasses, ideally with a shot of apple brandy.

Yum.