Slimy fungus fizz, anyone?

QUESTION When my father made ginger beer, he used a ginger beer plant. What is it?

The ginger beer ‘plant’ is a living organism, described by the botanist and mycologist harry Marshall Ward as ‘a composite organism consisting of a fungus, the yeast Saccharomyces florentinus (formerly Saccharomyces pyriformis) and the bacterium Lactobacillus hilgardii (formerly Brevibacterium vermiforme)’.

When this floating gelatinous slimeball is combined with water, sugar and ground ginger, it produces a fizzy, alcoholic ginger beer. If looked after, the ginger beer plant could provide a lifetime’s supply of the drink.

Interaction between yeasts and lactic acid bacteria are common in many foodstuffs. examples include rye and sourdough breads, soy sauce and miso. Mike Jones, Newport, Gwent.

QUESTION Which activities popular with children 50 years ago would not be allowed now?

FURTHER to earlier answers, in 1963, my school cadet commanding officer sent me on a drill instructor’s course with the Coldstream Guards.

I was given a travel warrant and drew a greatcoat and a fully active 303 Lee-enfield rifle from our school armoury, which I hid under my bed overnight.

The next day I went by Tube and train to Windsor barracks. There were a few funny looks but no comments, not even at the mainline rail station, apart from the obligatory eccentric on the Underground who blamed me for the Berlin Wall.

We were also sent on initiative tests between the ages of 14 and 16, where, in pairs — but with empty pockets and little preparation — we had to make our way on round trips of up to 1,000 miles, getting time stamps at police stations in towns en route.