elderflower cordial

The cow parsley has gone and now the hedges are filled with Elderflower, which absolutely amazing as you pass. In fact it smells just like Elderflower Cordial, something the children love to drink (perhaps because of the quantities of sugar). The next couple of months are great for foraging and I love the fact that you can entertain the children twice with this sort of thing. Step One: a lovely walk to find your goodies. Step two: an afternoon in the kitchen creating chaos and hopefully something edible too.


Recipe:

15 - 20 elderflower heads
1.35 kg granulated sugar
3 lemons and 3 limes thinly sliced


Put 1.5 litres of water with the sugar in a saucepan until sugar has dissolved then bring to the boil.

Add flowers and return liquid to the boil then take off the heat immediately

Add lemons and limes, stir well then leave, loosely covered for 24 hours

Pour into bottles and keep in fridge.

This makes two 750 ml bottles, which we drink quite quickly so I don't bother with Citric Acid. If you want your cordial to last longer add 30g of Citric Acid. It is also quite a sweet mixture so add plenty of water and serve with a large slice of lemon!


Very refreshing on these hot Summer days.