Broome Park Farm, Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast Accommodation Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire

To make the sloe gin the fruit must be pricked to allow the juice through the skin without clouding the gin if the fruit were crushed - we use the Hobin Sloe Pricker, a wonderful tool made many years ago by our friend Jeremy. This is a handle with several pins set in the end, speeding up the pricking process! The sloes are then placed in a demi john (bulk production) or wide necked bottle and layered with sugar until the container is full. Once full add the gin - any cheap stuff is fine - and fill to the top, leaving enough room for a bung. This must then be kept and shaken regularly until all the sugar has disolved. After which the finished sloe gin can be bottled and stored - at least until Christmas, longer if you can bear to wait!