Day 1. Place 3 raisins in a clean glass jar and add 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 cups (600 mls / 21 fl oz.) of cold water. Keep a cloth lid on the jar secured with a rubber band and sit it on the bench.

Day 2. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground ginger. Give it a stir.

Day 3. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar. Give it a stir.

Day 4. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground ginger. Give it a stir.

Day 5. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar. Give it a stir.

Day 6. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground ginger. Give it a stir.

Day 7. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar. Give it a stir.

Day 8. Drain off the liquid from the jar and keep the sediment. Throw away the liquid - it is not active enough to brew with yet.

Day 9 - Day 14. Repeat Day 2 - 7

Day 15. You now have an active bug and you can bottle your first batch. Drain of the liquid and don't throw it away this time. See below for instructions on how to bottle it.

Day 1. After you've strained off your ginger liquid for bottling, remove half the sediment from your jar. If you don't do this, it builds up and you have no room for your liquid. You can start another jar with this sediment or compost it.Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 cups (600 mls / 21 fl oz.) of cold water to your glass jar and remaining sediment. No need to add more raisins now your bug is active.

Day 2 - 7 - Follow the Day 2 - 7 instructions above. No need to stir it now.

Add 2 cups of sugar to a large clean pot that will hold 4 litres (4 quarts) of liquid.

Add 2 cups of boiling water and stir till sugar is dissolved.

Add 12 cups of cold water (3.4 ltrs - 3.6 qts) and stir.

Add the strained juice of 2 lemons and stir.

Add the ginger beer liquid reserved from the bug on Day 8 and stir.

Wash three 1.5 ltr (1.5 qt) soft drink bottles and lids in really hot water and put 3 raisins in each bottle.

Fill each bottle, leaving 3 - 5 cm (1-2") gap at the top. Don't worry if you've got a bit more room in the last bottle, it will still work. Screw the lids on and put in a warm place for a week.

Give the bottles a squeeze after a week. If they're hard it means your ginger beer is fermenting. Put them in the fridge to stop any more pressure building up and drink them.