Excellent elderflower recipes
Elderflower is a special, seasonal ingredient and its arrival is nature’s signal that summer is swiftly on the way.
There are lots of fun, tasty uses for elderflowers, like infusing sweet cordial – perfect for summer picnics and parties – or flavouring vinegar to add a next-level pop to pickles, salads and marinades.
You’ll see fluffy white flowerheads appear on elder trees in parks, gardens, hedgerows and woodland in late May across the UK, where they flower until July before turning into elderberries.
We’ve put together guides to making your own elderflower cordial and vinegar, along with some of our favourite floral elderflower recipes for you to try this season. Wherever you see cordial, simply replace it with your homemade creation!
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES
Try making your own cordial using Georgina Hayden’s failsafe recipe. In this guide, you’ll also find hints and tips from Jamie’s former gardener Pete Wrapson for how to pick elderflower heads, as well as some fun inspo on using elderflowers (think elderflower champagne, elderflower sorbet and elderflower fritters).
Infusing your own vinegar is a great elderflower recipe and will give you a delicate, floral, bright-tasting vinegar that pairs beautifully with salads, roasted veg, in pickles or even in cocktails.
Try infusing different types of vinegars, like white balsamic or apple cider vinegar, for different flavour profiles. Check out our step-by-step guide, which gives you two different methods to choose from, depending on how much time you have available: a 24-hour method if you can’t wait, and a longer infusion period of 2-3 weeks if you’re happy to get ahead.
PUDS, JELLIES & JAM
