Traditional Elderflower Cordial Recipe

Well I'm back from my reenactment holiday at Kentwell Hall and now enjoying the glorious sunshine here in Cambridge. I'll share with you what I got up to when I was away in the next post, but today I thought I'd treat you to one of my favourite summer recipes - Elderflower Cordial. 

This year with the cool spring, all our plants seem to be flowering later. I usually start to pick elderflowers in May, but only recently do these fragrant white blossoms seem to be at their peak. 

Making the cordial is really easy and foraging for the elderflowers is a fun activity for a warm and dry day. Enjoy it as an outing with the family, or use it as a chance to explore the countryside around you. 

To make your Elderflower Cordial you will need:

30 fresh elderflower heads - picked when white and freshly opened on a warm and dry day and rinsed to remove any dirt or little creatures. 

3 pints of boiling water

900g caster sugar

3 lemons - sliced

50g citric acid - this is a preservative and adds a sharp tang, if you can't get hold of any then you can still make the cordial, it just won't keep for as long. 

To make the cordial, simply pour the water on the sugar in a large bowl, mix and leave to cool slightly. Then add the citric acid and lemon slices, before adding your rinsed elderflowers. Give it a good stir. 

Leave the cordial to steep for 24 hours with a cover over it - preferably a fun vintage tea towel, though this is not strictly necessary ;-)

The next day, strain with a fine sieve or through a piece of fine muslin, and funnel into sterilised glass bottles. Enjoy immediately! I like mine diluted about 1 to 10 with sparking water and a slice of lemon and, of course, in one of my vintage tumblers from my ever growing collection! 

Have a great weekend and happy cordial making! 

Sophie