Elderflower cordial recipe

Having now tasted my cordial, here is the simple and super tasty recipe:

Ingredients

30 Elderflower heads

3 pints boiling water

900g caster sugar

50g citric acid

2 unwaxed oranges sliced

3 unwaxed lemons sliced

1. Rinse the elderflower to wash and get rid of any bugs.

2. In a large saucepan bring the water to the boil. Add the sugar and stir until it is completely dissolved. Leave to cool.

3. Add the citric acid (available from the chemist) orange and lemon slices and the elderflower heads.

4. Leave in a cool place for 24 hours, stirring every now and then.

5. Strain through a sieve first to remove all the flowers and fruit. Then strain through a muslin to get rid of any stray petals etc. pour into sterilised bottles or freeze in ice cube trays.
6. Let summer commence with sparkling water and gin (optional)!

Elderflower Cordial

Ahh tis the season for foraging and nothing screams summer more loudly (or with greater scent) than the humble elderflower.

It will not help my sugar free eating but last year I missed the flowers so I am determined to make elderflower cordial this summer. The flowers have come out in abundance this week and I am lucky to live close to many a winding lane with plenty of these lovely blooms.

I certainly couldn't have picked a less summery day to pick the flowers but brave the rain I did and my first batch is now doing it's thing overnight before being bottled up tomorrow. I'll post the recipe tomorrow once I have had a chance to taste it.