Finally….
…finally …
…I made elderflower cordial.
It’s only taken me about four years of good intentions to get round to it. Surely I get a special badge for procrastination.
Whilst I was picking the flowers I got a chance to have a close look at them.
They are exquisite. Each head is a mass of hundreds of tiny miniature flowers, like perfect lace, each smelling of honey, hay and citrus.
I used golden granulated sugar - it has given it an even more honey-ish flavour and a golden colour.
I added a spot of the cordial to some cheap white plonk from the coop. Good grief, this mixture is almost too good to be true (but a warning - it hardly tastes alcoholic at all and is all too easy to drink).
After all the simmering and tasting and marvelling at how such a common flower can be turned into something so delicious, I was inspired to do some making.
I can’t make a tasty drink from this one though.
BTW I used Hugh’s recipe but substituted citric acid for tartaric acid (75g of citric is enough for just over a litre of cordial at the simmering stage). The bottle with the lovely Grolsch-like top is from Lakeland.
Don’t forget the Pass the Book giveaway on my last post - you could choose a silver charm design and I will make it for you. I’ll be leaving it open until Monday. Many thanks to all those who have put the button on their blog.
July 2nd, 2010 at 1:03 pm
What a simply gorgeous necklace! All my elderflowers are nearly berries now, darn it!
July 2nd, 2010 at 1:21 pm
ooh yummy xxx
July 2nd, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I don’t know which I love more, your beautiful necklace or your wonderful tablecloth!
July 2nd, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Too much yummyness for a single post! I may be in the market for one of those posh cordial bottles.
July 2nd, 2010 at 2:33 pm
I love the green beads along the chain. They are beautiful.
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:25 pm
It is very decptive stuff, but ever so addictive. You must try making elderlower champagne next…now that is very, very good stuff!!
Have a grand weekend,
Nina xxx
July 2nd, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Elderflower cordial gets made here. Not this year though, as we still have quite a bit in the freezer from last year. I keep meaning to make the champagne variety but seem to procrastinate…………………………
:O) Still, if it explodes it will only need Juan Sheet……….. Jusan Sheet does plenty………………….
:O))))))))))))))))))0
July 2nd, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Distinctly envious - all the local elderflower had already gone over by the time I noticed this year.
I’ll just have to look forward to next year!
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:58 pm
O-oh. So that’s what it looks like.
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:11 pm
your cordial sounds scrummy and the necklace is stunning - as always! Lxxx
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Beautiful work Emma! (and scrummy cordial, too). I love elderflowers, they\’re so quintessentially english.
July 2nd, 2010 at 7:39 pm
I too finally made some elderflower cordial recently - I made some many years ago and kept intending to do so again but always left it too late to gather the flowers. They are so beautiful aren\’t they each minute flower so perfect and the whole made up of hundreds of the little beauties. Have you noticed that they vary too some being smaller and creamier and even a black bush with pink flowers although my favourite is the large pale flat blossoms.
Love that little pendant.
Jane
July 2nd, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Good to see you earlier, I timed my visit perfectly… thank you for the glass of elderflower cordial - it was delicious and so refreshing on such a hot dusty day.
The little silver pendant is even prettier in real life than in you photo, you’ll have stacks of orders for them I’m sure.
Love
Celia
x
July 2nd, 2010 at 8:49 pm
If you ever get tired of that tablecloth, I\’ll be happy to take it off your hands…
For that matter, if you ever get tired of that flowery necklace, I\’ll be… Okay, you get the idea.
I think I need elderflowers in my garden, too.
July 2nd, 2010 at 8:57 pm
absolutely fantastic necklace!!!
xxx
July 2nd, 2010 at 10:07 pm
I love the green beads too!
July 2nd, 2010 at 11:04 pm
I have also always wanted to make it but not yet got round to it! Lovely post.
love
Lyn
xxx
July 2nd, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Lovely post Emma, wish I could taste your elderflower cordial, it looks so summery and I love your flower pendant. Good luck to whoever wins Emma’s book … I so enjoyed her last giveaway!
July 3rd, 2010 at 12:17 am
This is such a Country Living post. Lovely! The pendant is gorgeous. I love the little elder-flowers. They are similar to the climbing hydrangeas we have. Little sputniks.
July 3rd, 2010 at 9:08 am
My Gran used to make me elderflower wine and I loved it….your pictures are lovely and I have fallen in love with your jewellry I am going back for another drool…
July 3rd, 2010 at 11:36 am
Sadly I’ve missed the boat for elderflower cordial making this year as all the blossom has set here - it will be carried forward to my list of things to try for next year! Yours looks and sounds wonderful though (wish we could smell and taste it!). Your pendant is gorgeous - a perfect little elderflower spray.
July 3rd, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Grin.. I can beat you on the procastrination bit; have been wanting to make elderflower syrup for years! Managed to finally make cordial last year, but the syrup is decidedly elusive. First I smell the elderflower, then I dream earthmother dreams about all the things that I can make with them, I smell them some more, and then they are all brown. Hmm.
I really like the pendant, it reminds me of the ones I saw on your blog before, the beautiful ones with the green and blue enamel (Im not being very precise, am I..). Beautiful, is what I wanted to say, anyway!
July 3rd, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Stumbled across your website from purplepodded peas … have just made a gooseberry and elderflower sponge but want to make my own elderflower cordial … so thank you … inspired now. Really love the elderflower pendant … is it for sale?
July 3rd, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Lovely makes, elderflowers are gorgeous aren\’t they? I\’ve picked some this afternoon and will be attempting to make my first elderflower cordial this evening.
twiggy x
July 3rd, 2010 at 10:19 pm
That is such a beautiful pendant!
Vivienne
July 4th, 2010 at 6:16 am
I’ve read about the cordial on lots of blogs, but never actually tasted any. I LOVE your little silver piece — it looks just like the flowers!
July 5th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Wow Emma - stunning pendant and to stop proscatinating too all in a few days. I’m impressed. I picked some elderflowers with good intentions then never got round to buying the lemons.
Lisa x
July 5th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
When I was a little girl we had an elderflower tree in our garden. My brothers told me the flowers were poisonous and threatened to force feed them to me. Boys are evil.
Your cordial has given me hope that my elderflower rehabilitation may one day come to pass.
July 5th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Me too! years of good intentions etc…. but try this … one part gin, one part elderflower, top up with soda and a couple slices of lemon … ooooh! summer in a glass. xx
July 8th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
I was determined to do the same this year, checked the bush one day and they weren’t quite open, didn’t get there the next day and by the flollowing day all the flowers had dropped. Oh well, next year perhaps. The necklace is beautiful tho’. Penny x