Foraging recipe

Foragers Gin

A This is a really easy way to make your own fruit gin using whatever is in season from the hedgerows.

Foragers Gin

Sloes are the classic choice, but damsons, bullaces, blackberries, blueberries and similar fruits all work well too. Use one fruit on its own, or experiment with a mixture of whatever the hedgerow gives you.

Time

3 months

Makes

One batch

Difficulty

Simple

Season

All Year Round

You Will Need:

Fruit ideas: sloes, damsons, bullaces, blackberries, blueberries, or a mixture of whatever is available.

The gin doesn’t need to be expensive either — Lidl’s own gin is one of the most cost-effective options I’ve found.

🫐

1Kg

foraged fruit

🍚

Sugar

500g white sugar

🫗

Gin

1 Litre

Step by step

The method

Simple steps · Reliable results

Prepare the fruit

Give your fruit a good check over and remove any leaves, stalks or damaged fruit. Put it into a clean glass container that can be sealed. A demijohn with a bung is ideal, especially for a larger batch.

Add the ingredients

Add everything in this order: fruit → sugar → gin. Seal the container securely when you’re finished.

Seal and shake

Give it a good shake and keep it at room temperature for the first couple of weeks. Shake once each day until all of the sugar has dissolved — normally within about two weeks.

Let it mature

Once the sugar has dissolved, move the container somewhere cooler with a fairly steady ambient temperature and leave the fruit and gin to mature for around 3 months.

Strain and bottle

After three months, strain the gin through a fine sieve or muslin to remove the fruit. Pour into clean bottles and seal.

Enjoy — and be patient!

You can drink it straight away, but it normally becomes smoother and richer if you leave it to mature a little longer. Kept somewhere cool and dark in properly sealed bottles, it will store for years.

Before you begin

Useful kit to have ready

Demi-john
Funnel