Homemade elderflower cordial

Elderflower cordial in one of my sea-foam handthrown porcelain travel cups

Nothing says summer more than making your own very sweet Elderflower cordial. Make sure you pick in the morning before the bees have stolen the sweet pollen. Also try to pick from high branches where dogs or foxes can’t pee on the blooms, and which are away from traffic pollution.

Make your cordial as soon as possible after picking the flowers.

Ingredients

• 1kg Granulated sugar

• 1 litre boiling water

• 50 g citric acid or juice 2 large lemons

• zest of 2 large lemons

• 15 elderflower heads, stalks removed,

Step 1 Put the sugar in a bucket or basin with the boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add the citric acid or lemon juice and the lemon zest.

Step 2 Shake the elderflowers to remove any insects and add the flowers to the sugar syrup. Cover and leave to stand for 1-2 days, stirring morning and night.

Step 3 Strain the elderflower cordial through muslin and decant into sterilised bottles. It’s now ready to use.

Step 4 Add to water and ice for a refreshing, long drink or top up with Prosecco or Champagne for a summer fizz. Yum!

There are several local parks near to me where I pick including Kings Heath Park, Highbury Park and Moseley Park.

I’ll be making more of these travel cups for my July shop update.