Mead of Sherwood's Oaks
A golden fermented drink made of honey and water, scented with herbs and apple, sweet and warming. The cup that Robin passes from hand to hand around the fire. (Non-alcoholic version offered for young audiences.)
A golden fermented drink made of honey and water, scented with herbs and apple, sweet and warming. The cup that Robin passes from hand to hand around the fire. (Non-alcoholic version offered for young audiences.)
Raise your cup, comrade! Here is Sherwood's liquid gold: the honey of the oaks I let sing for a few moons in the barrel. It is the drink of Saxon kings before the Normans, and we drink it as free men! Pass it around the circle, and let no one sit without having toasted — tonight, under the stars, we are richer than the sheriff.
- •Wild honey — a good portion (fermentable sugar)
- •Spring water — three times the honey (base)
- •Natural yeast (lees, fruit) — as needed (fermentation)
- •Herbs (gruit), apple — to taste (flavour)
Mead of Sherwood's Oaks
A golden fermented drink made of honey and water, scented with herbs and apple, sweet and warming. The cup that Robin passes from hand to hand around the fire. (Non-alcoholic version offered for young audiences.)
Why this dish? Wild honey harvested from hollow trees in the forest is transformed into mead, the quintessential Anglo-Saxon festive drink. What else to do with the sweet plunder shared around at Sherwood feasts?
Raise your cup, comrade! Here is Sherwood's liquid gold: the honey of the oaks I let sing for a few moons in the barrel. It is the drink of Saxon kings before the Normans, and we drink it as free men! Pass it around the circle, and let no one sit without having toasted — tonight, under the stars, we are richer than the sheriff.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wild honey — a good portion (fermentable sugar)
- Spring water — three times the honey (base)
- Natural yeast (lees, fruit) — as needed (fermentation)
- Herbs (gruit), apple — to taste (flavour)
Ingredients
- Honey — 400 g (sugar)
- Water — 1.2 L (base)
- Mead yeast or baker's yeast — a pinch (fermentation (adult version))
- Apple juice + cloves — 200 ml / 2 (flavour)
- For NON-ALCOHOLIC version: sparkling apple juice + honey — 1 L + 2 tbsp (family alternative)
Method
- Non-alcoholic version (recommended for young audiences): gently heat water, honey, apple, and cloves without boiling; let infuse, strain, and serve chilled or warm.
- Fermented version (adults): dissolve honey in warm water, add apple juice.
- Pour into a clean container, add yeast, cover with a cloth.
- Let ferment 1-2 weeks in a dark place, stirring daily for the first few days.
- Strain, bottle, and let rest in a cool place before tasting.
How it was made : Mead is one of the oldest fermented drinks in England, predating hopped beer. Before sugar became common, honey was the only sweet reserve, and beekeeping (or wild harvesting in forests) was precious. It was flavoured with herbs (gruit) long before the widespread use of hops.
The contemporary twist : Served warm and spiced in winter as 'wassail', the English tradition of the shared Christmas cup.
Sources : C. Anne Wilson, Food and Drink in Britain · Stephen Pollington, The Mead-Hall
Robin Hood · Charactorium
