This dish originated on the island of Lindisfarne, a remote and secluded little island off the southeast coast of Scotland and northeast coast of England. The last time I visited this island, about 30 years ago, it was impossible to reach by air (too small to have an airport) or by water (the only boats that went to Lindisfarne were supply boats), and there was no bridge across which one could drive from the mainland. The ONLY way for tourists to reach this little diamond in the rough was, and may still be, to drive to the island. And one had the opportunity to do so only twice every day, with about a 30- to 45-minute window of time in which to do so. In case you haven't guessed, that meant that one had to drive across the seabed at low tide. Mead (a sweet, light honey-coloured or clear wine) was originally made, for centuries, by the monks on the island. Although the monks are now gone, their tradition and recipes remain. You will probably want to double or quadruple the ingredients, or you may be sorry that you didn't!