Everywhere that I look right now the hedgerows are full of white blossom; a mixture of Hawthorn, Rowan, Cherry and the wonderfully honey-scented Elder flowers. Each year we make an effort to go out and collect elderflower heads to use in making cordial, champagne and fitters. The tightly-clustered fragrant flowers are just so easy to use and to harvest.
The following recipe is our tried and tested method for making Elderflower cordial. We usually make it in large batches, bottle some and then freeze the rest as ice cubes so that they can be used through the rest of the year.
Ingredients
- 20-25 elderflower heads with as few stems as possible
- 2 lemons
- 1-1.5Liters of water
- 800g-1kg of granulated sugar
You will also need:
Clean (preferably sterilised) plastic screw top bottles; you will need enough to contain 5 litres of finished Elderflower Champagne.
Method
- Pick young, recently opened flowers (in the morning is ideal). Beware of picking too many from one shrub – try to spread your impact on the hedgerow out a little. Shake off any insects you find.
- Remove the stalks from the florets with a fork – they will make the brew slightly bitter.
- Boil the water and stir in the sugar to dissolve
- Add the lemon – some people prefer to zest and juice the lemons, others to slice and throw them in. I’ve had success both ways.
- Take the water off the boil and add the elderflower heads. Again, methods vary – I prefer to wait until it cools slightly, others just throw the florets in to the boiling pot.
- Cover and leave to stand for 24-48hrs, stirring every 12hrs or so with a clean wooden spoon.
- Strain the resulting mixture through muslin or sieve and decant into clean bottles. Glass or plastic should work fine as long as they have been properly cleaned/sterilised.
- Drink on its own (for the dedicated), dilute (for the majority) or add to other drinks and concoctions as you see fit. It will be usable for weeks but be wary of anything that has been bottled for too long as it may begin to ferment.
Notes:
If you are freezing your cordial you can do so in batches, popping the frozen cubes out into a bag to go in the freezer – that way your ice cube tray can be free for other uses! If you also have access to fresh mint, this is a great accompaniment to anything Elderflower.
Every year Wild Food People run a calendar of foraging and wild food courses in North Wales.
From forests and meadows to seashore and coastal – all of our courses are focused on food, ecology and giving participants the confidence to go and find these foods for themselves.
We work with nature.
We deliver expert foraging and wild food training as part of our wider work managing habitats in North Wales.
Every single one of our courses and events feeds back into improving those habitats, helping to provide healthy ecosystems for our local wildlife and communities.