Those of you who’ve followed me for a while will know that I’ve got the foraging bug. I’d say it started a couple of years ago, but truthfully, we’ve done it as a family for years, picking elderberries, blackberries from hedgerows, even the odd apple or two.
But perhaps my favourite, because for me it heralds the start of summer, is elderflower. We’ve just started the elderflower season, and as usual in and around Manchester, it’s in absolutely abundance. The trees will flower for the next few months, so you can often pick for weeks on end. But to be truthful, their fragrance – and flavour – is rather intense, so you won’t need that much, and can easily leave some behind for other foragers, or to develop into berries.
Of course when foraging, try to steer away from pollutants, such as busy roads or motorways, and if you’re unsure, download an app – there are loads – to help with identifying elderflower. I think it’s got such a distinctive scent, I’d know it anywhere, but always best to check if you need to.
So, what can you do with it? You can infuse them into gin or vodka (a recipe I’ve done previously can be found here), you can even dip the heads in batter and fry them, make vinegar, jellies, or as I did, a cordial. The cordial is fabulous, because you can pop it into drinks to add a little something – boozy or not. So it’s great for a refreshing drink diluted with soda water, or can pep up a glass (or two) of prosecco. You could even add it to your G&T.
And this one is a little different, because I’ve added lime, something a little sharper to cut through the intense floral flavour. Oh, and this recipe does make quite a lot, so please feel free to make smaller batches, just halve or quarter the amounts. As I say, a little goes a long way!
Three things to bring up before we start. This recipe uses citric acid – and so you’ll need some of that to make it. You can make it without, but it won’t keep as well. But don’t worry, you can easily order it online, and some pharmacies stock it.
Secondly, you’ll be filling the bottles when the liquid is still hot – so please be careful! Use a funnel that is suitable for the heat you’re working with, a jam funnel would be ideal, and of course you want to pour it into something that can take the heat too. And please use heat protection – oven gloves etc. It’s hot sugar which can leave a nasty burn.
Finally, you’ll need something to put it in! You can get bottles online, use old jam jars washed and sterilised – the last bit is key. Wash them in hot soapy water, or you can put them in the dishwasher, then fill with boiling water. Leave for 5 minutes before draining. Personally, I prefer the oven option – again, wash them, and dry them in the oven on a tray, lids and all in an oven at Gas Mark 1/ 140˚C until dry.
All that said, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did – there’s so much out there, I might have to make something else!
Lime and Elderflower Cordial
Ingredients
- 10 Elderflower heads, rinsed and thicker stems trimmed off.
- 2 Limes, sliced
- 40 grams Citric acid
- 1.25 kilograms Caster sugar
- 750ml Water
Instructions
-
Add the limes, elderflowers, and water to a big pan.
-
Pop it onto the hob on a medium heat and bring it to the boil. As soon as it begins to boil, turn it off, pop a lid on and let it steep overnight.
-
The next day, strain it using a coffee filter, muslin, or jelly bag.
-
Put the liquid in a clean pan, add the sugar and citric acid and bring it to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
-
While this is happening, make sure you have sufficient jars/bottles clean and sterlised, ready to fill.
-
When the liquid is boiling let it simmer for five minutes and skim off any foam.
-
After five minutes, decant it into the bottles, still warm, and seal.
-
Once cooled, this will keep for weeks on end! Enjoy drizzled onto syrup, added to your favourite G&T, or with soda water and a slice of lime.
