Foraged Elderflower Syrup
Elderflower. The taste of early summer sunshine, nostalgia of childhood Elderflower cordial slurping and all round goodness. Best thing of all? You can channel your inner Bear Grylls and forage the stuff… Yes, even in London! What a glorious way to connect with nature and take time to stop and notice on your stroll.
Meandering down the River Wandle in Earlsfield, tote bag and scissors in hand - it was time to fill our boots with Elderflower in full bloom. There is one very easy mistake to make when foraging for Elderflower - mistaking it for Cow Parsley. We have definitely served a Cow Parsley drizzle cake before - yum. 🙈
Key things to remember - Elderflower grows on a tree (Elder Tree) so you will forage the flowers from it’s branches. Cow Parsley (and other Elderflower imposters) grow up on stalks from the ground. See the below snap for comparison…
Now we are pretty clear on the real Elderflower, let’s make our syrup. The beauty of making a batch of homemade syrup is that it is so versatile! You can give your iced drinks a little summer spruce, pop in G&T, or use the sweet Elderflower nectar in your baking.
This recipe is very simple, and a wholesome way to spend 30 mins. Here are the ingredients;
650g (or 3 cups) sugar - granulated or caster is fine
430ml water
Juice of half a lemon
10 - 15 Elderflower heads - the most you use, the more intense the flavour! Make sure flowers are fully open and not browned…
Half a lemon, sliced
Grab a pan, large jug / carafe / bowl that you can cover up, fine mesh sieve and an air tight jar to keep your Elderflower syrup in.
Firstly, once foraged - sort through your Elderflowers - very carefully remove any bugs and pop them somewhere else they can inhabit, remove the stalks of your Elderflowers and pop in a bowl. It is tempting to wash them - but resist! This will take away lots of the beautiful flavour.
In your pan, add your sugar, water and lemon. On a medium heat, warm until all sugar is dissolved - the mixture doesn’t need to boil.
Once you are happy with your sweet liquid, take off the heat and allow to cool.
With your chosen vessel (we are using a carafe) - start to fill with your Elderflowers and lemon slices.
Once the sugary mixture has cooled, pour over your Elderflowers and lemons. Seal and leave in a cool, dark place for 48 hours (or as long as you fancy!)
Once the time has passed and your patience is wearing thin, it’s time to finely strain your elderflower syrup to remove any bits and bobs.
Don’t have a cheesecloth to strain your syrup? Use a face cloth instead!
Decant into your chosen storage jar and enjoy.
Give your cake recipes, cocktails and puds a glorious summery glow up!