Cooking Challenge: Mead

#ChallengeSeason

Challenge Season - Cooking Challenge: Mead

Straight from the brewery of Rory Dáin Honeywater who recognised that not every hobbit drinks alcohol - and also accomodating the underaged humans who might wish to raise a glass on Hobbit Day!

Mead is referenced on multiple occasions in both The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Beorn serves mead to Thorin’s company in the Hobbit; Elrond gifts Gandalf a flask in the the Lord of the Rings; Galadriel and Celeborn share white mead with the company when they depart Lothlórien, while Galadriel references mead as she sang her lament upon their parting.

True (alcohol containing) mead takes months to complete (because of the fermentation process), however, the following two recipes are simple non-alcoholic versions of mead, heavily laden with honey (and are thus in the sprit of a honey mead flavour) that are completely quick to prepare (hours).

Miruvór

In the Lord of the Rings, Lord Elrond gifted Gandalf a flask of miruvór (mead) when the Fellowship departed from Rivendell. During the snow storm on Caradhras, Gandalf gave each member of the Fellowship a sip of miruvór to revive their tired and frozen limbs. A second sip was given when they stopped to rest. While a final sip was granted to the companions when they first entered the Mines of Moria.

This take on the Elven mead drink, miruvór, was adapted from the mashed.com website (it can be made with non-alcoholic spirits, so is an ideal recipe for the underaged!). Honey is dissolved into boiling water and then allowed to cool. To this, add elderflower cordial (elderflower is associated with the elves), non-alcoholic gin/spirits, freshly squeezed grapefruit or orange and mix.

This is poured to 2/3 fill a glass and then topped up with 1/3 mineral or tonic water to give an effervescent sparkling “mead”.

Cordial of Imladris

”Just a mouthful each - for all of us. It’s very precious. It is miruvór, the cordial of Imladris. Elrond gave it to me at our parting “ - Gandalf.

This recipe was adapted from the “Elven Cookbook: inspired by the elves of Tolkien”. Thin slices pink grapefruit and lemons are boiled with honey, water and sugar until the fruit is soft and pulpy and the mixture is syrupy. Citric acid is added and the mixture left to cool. This is then strained into a bottle. When ready to serve, it is poured into a glass and topped up with sparkling mineral water or tonic water (a ratio if 1:3 cordial to mineral water).