Elderflower cordial

I love elderflowers. They are one of the botanicals in our London Dry and are used in so many of the recipes in our recipe books. In anticipation of a delicious cocktail we’re going to post on Friday, I decided it was time to make this year’s elderflower cordial. This is probably the easiest thing you can do with elderflowers and can be used in all sorts of ways - drizzling over fruit salad and ice cream, mixing with gooseberries in a fool or tart, and as a delicious addition to gin - as well as simply adding water to it and drinking.

To make a simple cordial, pick around 20 heads of elderflowers. Try to keep them upright so you don’t lose too much of the pollen, which is the most fragrant part. Take off the stalks and leaves (careful not to leave any in - the leaves don’t taste great) and wash the flowers well, taking care to remove any bugs. Heat 2.5kg of white sugar in 1.5l of water until it has dissolved. Bring to the boil and then turn the heat off. Add the elderflowers, together with the pared zest and sliced flesh of 2 lemons and stir well. Leave to infuse for 24 hours, and then pour through a colander lined with a tea towel. You can keep it in sterilised bottles in the fridge for about six weeks, or freeze into large ice cubes, in which case they’ll last all summer.

You can mix it up by using honey, oranges, etc., and a lot of receipts call for citric acid, but in my opinion simple is best.

Enjoy!