Forage and make homemade elderflower cordial

Look out for elderflower in June ......

Since arriving in the UK and discovering elderflower, I drink it all the time, usually in the form of shop bought elderflower pressé.

This year, I am making my own elderflower cordial, which as it turns out, is quite simply made from elderflowers, lemons and a basic sugar syrup.  It is so refreshing and the scent of freshly picked elderflowers is intoxicating.

For my first attempt, I used this BBC homemade elderflower cordial recipe.

Make a sugar syrup, and then simply immerse the flowers and lemon slices, and leave to infuse for 24 hours.  As I didn't have citric acid, I made a smaller volume of cordial, to be consumed quickly.

You can also watch Mary Berry making her elderflower cordial, although she uses both citric acid and campden tablets, which I've since discovered can be ordered online from Lakeland (lakeland.co.uk).

Forage for elderflower

Elderflowers can usually be found in hedgerow and can be large shrubs. In fact, you'll struggle to reach the flowers from the tallest branches, so pull down the branches you can reach and snip of the flower heads.

The best flowers to use are the ones which still have some unopened buds.

Carefully wash the flowers before using, to remove any dirt and small insects.