ELDERFLOWER Cordial RECIPE
Head out into the hedgerows in May-June and you’ll find a bounty of heavily scented Elderflower heads.
This elderflower cordial recipe is soooo simple.
The most time-consuming part of this process is collecting the Elderflowers, but to me, that’s a mindful activity. Another opportunity to connect with nature and the seasons.
It’s that window in the year where you can make enough elderflower cordial and freeze it for a refreshing drink (especially when mixed with sparkling water), cocktails (mix with champagne or procecco) and Ice lollies in the garden alll summer long.
To make Elderflower cordial you’ll need:
🌸 20-30 Elderflower heads
🧑🍳 1 kg of golden caster sugar (or just regular caster sugar)
💦 2 litres of water
🐝 5 tablespoons of local honey
🍋 4 lemons
And for making your cordial you’ll need
🧑🍳 A large pan
🧑🍳 A sieve or colander
🧑🍳 Cheesecloth
🧑🍳 Bottles - this recipe makes about 4 litres (but you can freeze some in food bags or tupperware for later).
1 | Gather
Grab a basket and pair of scissors, and head out to the hedgerows to collect 20-30 Eldeflower heads.
2 | Disolve the sugar into the water
Add the sugar, honey and 2 litres of water into a large pan.
Warm the liquid until the sugar and honey have disolved into the water.
3 | Add lemons
Grate the lemon zest and add it to the pan.
Squeese the juioce of 2 of the lemons into the pan, and add the other two lemons to the pan chopped into rounds.
4 | Add Elderflowers
Add your elderflower heads to the pot and give it all a good stir so your Elderflower heads are all submerged in the liquid.
Leave it for 24 hours. (I left mine for a day and a half.
5 | Prepare your bottles
Prepare your bottles.
To steralise your bottles just give them a wash and put them into a cold oven. Heat the oven to just over 100C for 10 minutes and then switch the oven off - leave the bottles to cool in the over as it cools]
6 | Strain
Position your colander or sieve over a large pan or bowl.
Place your cheesecloth over the sieve or colander.
Pour the elderflower mixture into the bowl through your cheesecloth.
Squeese all of the liquid out of the cheesecloth.
7 | Bottle
Pour your elderflower into steralised bottled.
And enjoy!
As a refreshing drink - just add water. 1 part elderflower cordial, 2 parts water.
As a cocktail - just add champagne instead of water
As an ice lolly - add 1 part elderflower cordial, 2 parts water to ice lolly moulds.
You can also add it to your morning smoothie.
Wanna tuck this in your recipe book for later? Pin it to your recipes board on pinterest. ⤵
