These endless sunny days call for a splash of something special to keep us going and lift our spirits. Thank heavens for the humble and ubiquitous elderflower. Once you know what you’re looking for, elderflowers are easy to identify: tallish bushes with fragile and cragged bark, bountiful blooms and feathered leaves.

Harvested from London’s parkland, hedgerows and woodland edges - as with all foraging - picking only what you need to avoid depletion or any stockpiling nightmares that are still all too fresh.

Be aware - the leaves, flowers and berries are considered toxic unless cooked but don’t let that put you off! Once you have harnessed the secret to a good elderflower syrup the opportunities are endless. You can add lavender or lemon verbena for an extra layer and bedazzle a regular crème fraiche or panna cotta.

We like to make elderflower cordial as our sundowner of choice. Here’s how we do it.

Notes

Shake the flowers to make sure there are no insects hiding inside, but don’t wash them as this can affect the taste.

Ingredients

200g elderflower blossoms
1.5L water
200g sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method

Cut off the elderflower blossoms leaving a tiny bit of stem
Lay on a tray to remove bugs etc
Shake to clean
Heat the water in a saucepan with the sugar, stirring to dissolve
Place the cleaned elderflowers in a bowl and pour the sugar syrup over them
Add the lemon juice and zest
Leave in fridge overnight to infuse
The next morning, taste your cordian and strain through a sieve into a saucepan. Put on the stove and bring to boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
If you want to make any taste adjustments ie. more sugar or lemon, now is the time to do this
When cooled, strain through a funnel and muslin into a sterilised glass bottle
To drink, dilute 1 part elderflower syrup to 5 parts water (or to taste)

Tips

Add this cordial to your Champagne or Prosecco for a delicate livener.
Once bottled, the cordial will keep for several weeks in the fridge.