Elder (Sambucus nigra) is a small, common tree that produces a fabulous white flower that can be used to make wonderful elder flower cordial.  I’ve written a recipe previously, but here is another that we’ve tried recently; it takes slightly less time to make the cordial and so is worth a go if you just can’t wait to give it a try!  This recipe also has an added twist with the addition of some ginger!
We’ve also made elder flower delight in the past, which is also well worth a go.
Ingredients for the elder flower cordial
- 50 elder flower heads
- 2 1/2 litres of boiling water
- 5 lemons
- Small piece of fresh ginger
- 1kg of granulated sugar
How to make elder flower cordial
Collect about 50 elder flower heads in a basket. Â Lay them outside for a few minutes to give any bugs the opportunity to escape!
Remove as much of the green stem as you can (elder can have a ‘purgative’ affect on some people!) and put in a clean bucket. Â We use the tubs that bird feed and fat balls come in.
Add the zest of 5 lemons. Â Put the lemons in the fridge for later.
Grate the ginger onto the lemon zest and elder flowers.
Add 2 1/2 litres of boiling water.
Cover and leave somewhere cool overnight. Â The next day strain the mixture. Â We poured it through a jelly bag. Â Don’t worry if the liquid is a little darker than you imagined, remember it’s a cordial that will be diluted.
Now add the juice of the 5 lemons previously zested.
Add the sugar, add some heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Pour the liquid into sterilised bottles. Â We place the bottles in the oven and slowly warm them up. Â Be careful, as the bottles and liquid are both hot!
Leave the bottled cordial to cool.
Once cool, pour an inch or so into a glass, add some ice, a slice of lemon, fizzy water and enjoy!
This is one that is likely to find its way onto the menu on our 1 day foraging course or our 2 day woodland cooking course. You can see plenty of photos from both courses, as well as all our others, on our Facebook page.
