Nancarrow’s head chef, Darren, has been filling us all with inspiration for winter drinks lately, and this Mulled Cider is a bit of a corker for bonfire night, and so simple to whip up before you head out to gather around the bonfire and watch the fireworks.
1: Roast the Oranges
Take 3 small to medium oranges and roast them whole until they are browned on the outside and jammy on the inside – you’ll know they’re ready when they smell amazing and are nice and squidgy! You can do this by either putting them in the oven on a baking tray for about an hour (use a medium heat and turn them after 30 mins) or cook them on the grill over the BBQ for about 40 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes so that they don’t burn. Cooking them over the BBQ will make them beautifully smoky and will really add to the flavour.
2: Stud the Oranges
Once you’ve roasted the oranges, stud them with cloves by gently pushing the cloves into the skin. You should be able to easily get 15-20 cloves onto each orange, dotted all the way around. Push a cinnamon stick through the centre/core of the orange, from top to bottom.
3: Mull the Cider
Fill a pan with your favourite cider (making sure there’s more than enough to go around!) and add the studded oranges and two or three star anise. Gently bring the cider to boil over a medium heat. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down low and let it simmer for at least 15 minutes to get all the flavours through. If you feel the need to sweeten it up a little then add a small amount of sugar, but we quite like it as it comes.
