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Elderflower Cordial

Elderflower is beautifully fragrant and growing around many of our gardens and country lanes at this time of year.  It is delicious in soft drinks and I went foraging recently to make some elderflower cordial. 

Elderflower is one of the oldest cultivated herbs by man and over the years it has been used to treat asthma and allergies. It is now proven that elderflower contains powerful antioxidants.

I picked around 25 large elderflower heads – make sure you pick them on a dry day and don’t pick heads that have any trace of brown blossom on them. Homemade elderflower cordial is so much more delicious than anything you can buy.

Gill x 

Preparation Time:
30 minutes
Cooking Time:
24 hours
Serves: 40

Ingredients

  • 1.5 litres of water
  • 1 kg granulated or caster sugar
  • 25 elderflower heads, stalks trimmed
  • 4 lemons
  • 60g citric acid (you can buy this in your local pharmacy)

    Method

    1. In a deep saucepan, heat the water and at the same time add in the sugar. Heat the water until all the sugar dissolves, stirring now and again. 
    2. Fill a washing bowl with cold water and clean the flowers heads by swishing them around the water to remove any dirt or bugs.
    3. When cool add the lemons (zested and sliced), the citric acid and the elderflower heads to the saucepan. Stir well and leave covered for 24 hours.
    4. After 24 hours, strain the juice through sterilised muslin, and then carefully transfer to sterilised bottles.
    5. The cordial is ready to drink straight away.  As there was quite a lot of juice, I also froze some in freeze bags to bring out and defrost when needed.

    NICKI'S TUPPENCEWORTH

    I made Elderflower Cordial last year for the first time and I was amazed at how simple it was. I spent a rather glorious Saturday morning out on a foraging walk being led by the fabulous 'Plants With Purpose' from Bankfoot and it was during this that I discovered how easy it could be.

    Cut to me with two eager and willing seven year old twin neices the following Saturday, down at Norrie Miller Walk with our baskets, picking elderflower heads! I felt like a true woman of nature and the girls had a great time.

    There are a huge number of Elderflower bushes throughout Perthshire, just ready and waiting for foragers to gather their sweet, delicious harvest.  The advice I was given was to be thoughtful of others - so don't pick it clean, simply take enough for your recipe and come back another day for more. 

    The cordial is delcious served over ice with strawberries as Gill has done here but if you perfer your drinks on the harder side, add a good slug of gin or vodka for a perfect summer cocktail! 

    You can also freeze it into Ice Lolly moulds for extra Cool Auntie Points (which, of course, I always aspire to!).  

    Please do try this out at home and leave your comments here to let us know how you served yours (I am aware that there will be many cocktail variations and look forward to them all!)

    You can also share your photographs and ideas with us. We'd love to see them. As always, tag them #PerthLoveFest and we'll scatter them around our own social media.  

    Happy slurping, Nicki X

    Small City Parklands Pub and Beer Garden

    Gin Cocktails For Lockdown

    We've scoured the archives and come up with our top 5 g
    May 20th Wednesday

    Afternoon Tea in Perthshire During Lockdown

    Enjoy an Afternoon Tea during lockdown; these tasty treats a
    May 19th Tuesday

    Food Lockdown Food!

    This list brings together the food outlets currently open In
    April 22nd Wednesday

    More Scottish Recipes