Home-made Elderflower Cordial

There's nothing better than fresh, ice-cold, home-made elderflower cordial right? Right. And of course it's so easy to make and barely costs anything!

Hunter wellies, a sister and a wicker basket full of elderflowers. 

So my younger sister is really good with anything that involves cooking. Well, anything you can eat or drink I suppose. She had the idea of making homemade elderflower cordial. So on what felt the hottest day of the year I begrudgingly agreed to join her on the hunt for elderflowers, which took us all around the fields of the farm that I grew up on.

We managed to fill up our wicker basket full of flowers. We only got a few stings from stinging nettles in the process, which was surprising after having to jump onto hedges and through what felt like overgrown wilderness at times. It is actually surprising how many elderflower trees there are around, which makes this a great recipe for all, as the flowers are so easy to get your hands on. The only thing to remember is that elder trees only flower this time of year so usually June. So it's best to get those elder flowers picked before it's too late!

Walking through the wilderness in Piggery Field with my sister at the farm we grew up on in Cornwall.

So once you've picked your elderflowers all you need is a few other ingredients and you'll be away! This was the recipe we used to make our elderflower cordial:

Ingredients

• 30 elderflower heads 
• 1.7litres/3 pints boiling water 
• 900g/2lb caster sugar
• 50g/2oz citric acid (can get from chemists) 
• 2 unwaxed oranges, sliced
• 3 unwaxed lemons, sliced
• 
  
• Method

1. Rinse the elderflowers to remove any dirt or bugs. 
2. Pour the boiling water over the sugar in a very large mixing bowl. Stir well and leave to cool. 
3. Add the citric acid, the orange and lemon slices, and then the flowers. 
4. Leave in a cool place for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. 
5. Strain through some muslin and transfer to sterilised bottles.
   
   

   

   This is the ingredients in the muslin cloth, ready to be strained.

And the final product is pretty rewarding! Definitely deserved a try after all that elderflower hunting on the hottest day of the year.

Kilner jars and pretty straws make any drink instantly taste better...it's the little things.

Mix the elderflower cordial with sparkling water, ice cubes and of course a sprig of elderflowers to make your drink look even more pretty! It's just as nice mixed with just water too. Oh and I've heard it goes amazing in cocktails...something I have yet to try but maybe that can be my next project! I may need to borrow my sister for her cocktail making skills though!

Enjoy,

Laura

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