15 NOVEMBER 1946, Page 17

Herb Beer An enquiry about a recipe for the old

country drink of yarrow beer has procured me an introduction to a most learned and suggestive little book, Cornish Recipes, issued by the Cornwall Federation of Women's Institutes at is. 6d., printed at 27, Boscawen Street, Truro. It has been through sixteen editions. There is one recipe for " Herby Beer," made out of a mixture of stinging nettles, yarrow and wild sage. Take 2 gallons of water, add herbs, boil all together and then add II lb. sugar. When nearly cold add 2 oz. yeast and let it stand till next day. Then strain, bottle and cork and wait for three days. But the drink most enthusiastic- ally praised is pure nettle beer. Someone ought to write a monograph on nettles which have enjoyed an increasing vogue in recent years--as the best of manures, a wholesome vegetable and fodder, a source of fibre and a nursery of butterflies! The Cornish recipe ends: "Nettle beer— makes a most delicious drink as well as a valuable spring medicine and tonic." So there! Tributes to " Sauce-Alone" continue to reach me from many districts. One enthusiast cultivates it in her Edinburgh garden, and treasures it as an invaluable addition to a salad, as in other dishes.