Make elderflower cordial
Elderflower cordial is great to have on a hot summers’ day with some ice and a slice of lemon. Elderflowers are beautiful, delicate white flowers that can be found growing in hedgerows, parks and woodland. They are usually ready to be picked from late May until the end of June.
What you will need:
A basket or cloth bag
12 elderflower heads
2 unwaxed lemons
400 grams sugar
900ml boiling water
Glass bottles or jars with lids
A sieve
A cloth
What you need to do:
1. Choose a sunny day to gather your elderflowers. It is said that if you go earlier in the morning, they will have a better flavour. Take a basket or cloth bag to collect them in.
2. Elderflowers grow on elder trees and have a very particular appearance – like the one shown in the photo below. The trees’ leaves are feather-shaped with toothed edges and have a distinctive, sweet smell. Pick them from trees that are away from roadsides or fields that have been sprayed. Choose the elderflowers that are just opening – these have the whitest flowers. Make sure you always leave plenty of flowers on a tree, as they will turn into berries in the autumn to provide food for the birds and insects.
3. When you get home, trim the stems off your elderflowers using some scissors. Pick any insects out of the flowers.
4. Grate your lemon skins, mixing the grated rind with 900ml of water and 400 grams of sugar in a pan. Bring it to the boil and stir it until all the sugar has dissolved. Then remove your pan from the hob.
5. Cut your two lemons into thin slices and add them to your pan, along with the elderflowers. Mix all the pan contents together, making sure all the elderflowers are pushed down into the water. Cover your pan with a clean tea towel and leave it somewhere out of sunlight for 24 hours.
6. After it has been sitting for 24 hours, take a large sieve and put a piece of cloth in it. A muslin cloth is ideal, but an old tea towel is also fine. Pour the contents of the pan into the cloth and strain it into a bowl.
7. Take a funnel and pour the liquid into clean bottles or jars for storage.
8. Pour some of your cordial into a glass and dilute it with water. Add some ice and lemon if you like.
9. Enjoy your freshly made elderflower cordial!
10. Once bottled your cordial will last for several weeks if kept in a fridge.