Elderflower cordial recipe

Elderflower cordial is one of the most rewarding and easiest things to make. Grab a basket and get picking.

elderflower cordial recipe

Depending on the weather, elderflower can be picked during late May and June. It's at its best when the sun has been on it for an hour or two and the flowers are dry. I always remember it's time to pick when Wimbledon begins. Our easy elderflower cordial recipe is a store cupboard essential, and can enhance many dishes and drinks, as well as being delicious to drink simply diluted with water, still or sparkling.

Easy elderflower cordial recipe (makes 6 x 500ml bottles)

Ingredients 20 heads of elderflower 1.8 kg (4lb) granulated or caster sugar 1.2 litres (2 pints) water 6 lemons 50g (2oz) citric acid

Method

  • Place the heads of elderflower in a large bowl. Remove any leaves and as much stalk or wildlife as you can.
  • Boil the water and add the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Leave to cool.
  • Once cooled, pour the water over the elderflower and add the citric acid.
  • Using a potato peeler or sharp knife, peel the lemons and slice the fruit.
  • Add the peel and fruit to the bowl.
  • Leave the mixture in the cool for 24 hours before straining. The mixture is now ready to be used or stored.
  • This should make enough to fill 6 x 500ml bottles.

elderflower sparkling wine

How to make elderflower sparkling wine

As a prelude to summer, try making sparkling elderflower wine.

Country Life

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.