Spiced apple cider recipe

Nothing quite says Christmas like a glass of steaming hot mulled wine or warm apple cider. This is one of my favourite winter recipes, and involves very little legwork other than throwing everything in a pan and watching it bubble away for a couple of minutes. I like to curl up on the sofa in my pyjamas, a Christmas movie on the TV, a cat keeping my lap warm and a scented candle burning while I slurp on the perfect wintery spiced sweetness. Yum.

Ingredients

2 litres good quality traditional cider
6 cloves
3–4 star anise
¼ nutmeg, finely grated into the pan
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla pod, halved
juice of 1 orange
juice of 2 clementines or satsumas
1 pomegranate (juice and seeds)
4–5 tablespoons caster sugar

Method

Pop a large pan onto a low heat and pour in the cider. Let it warm through for a few minutes. Throw in all the spices and juices and increase the temperature. Once boiling, turn down and let it simmer for about 6 minutes.

Have a taste and add sugar if needed. Ladle into glasses, decorate with leftover orange and pomegranate slices and serve warm.

Follow me on bloglovin' | twitter | instagram | pinterest | facebook This site contains links to outside sources including paid affiliates. Queenie and the Dew is not responsible for the content of any third party website.