Ingredients
1 carrier bag of elderflowers (use just the heads of the flowers)
2 unwaxed lemons
3 litres water
2 x 1/4kg bags sugar (caster or granulated)
3 tbsp citric acid (if you cannot find citric acid, simply double the amount of lemons)
Method
- Sift through the elderflowers and discard any that are too scraggy or insect ridden. Strip off any extraneous leaves or twigs.
- Put the flowers in a large pan and squeeze the juice of the lemons over them. Don’t throw away the skins of the lemons. Instead, drop them in the pan.
- Pour in 3 litres of cold water (or enough to cover the flowers), put a lid on the pan and leave it somewhere cool for 3 days. Give the mixture a stir once or twice a day.
- Strain the mixture through a clean muslin or tea towel into another pan. Roughly measure the amount and add a tbsp of citric acid and 750g sugar for each litre.
- Heat the pan gently, stirring the mixture to dissolve the sugar. Let it boil for 1 minute and then leave it to cool.
- Once cooled, pour the cordial into sterilised glass or plastic bottles and enjoy. It should keep in the cupboard for up to a month.
