Elderflower cordial recipe
Homemade elderflower cordial is so easy to make. Try this recipe mixed with sparkling water.
Homemade elderflower cordial is so easy to make. Try this recipe mixed with sparkling water.
Elderflowers make excellent cordial, although you must pick fragrant flowers in dry conditions. Once the flowers mature and turn yellow they take on a tom-cat fragrance that will be transferred to your cordial. Elderflowers usually start blooming around mid May.
Citric acid can be bought from chemists, some supermarkets and shops stocking winemaking supplies. If you struggle to find citric acid you can swap it for an extra four lemons, but be aware that storage time will be affected so freeze any excess cordial to make sure it lasts.
Serve your cordial with sparkling water, and for a summer party you could serve as a non-alcoholic alterative to Pimms and lemonade with a combination chopped lemons, cucumbers, strawberries and fresh mint leaves. It also works well added to cocktails.
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Val Bourne is a gardening expert and journalist who writes for The Daily Telegraph, Saga Magazine and many others. Val has been awarded the Garden Media Journalist of the Year and Columnist of the Year.
She is also the author of many books, including The Living Jigsaw, The Ten-Minute Gardener. Val also judges the perennial and dahlia trials at RHS Wisley.
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