It’s that time of year when elderflowers are beginning to show themselves, so I thought it would be perfect to post a recipe for one of my favourites…elderflower cordial.

I used this recipe last year to make my first ever homemade cordial, which was delicious and extremely self satisfying to make.  The recipe will make approx 3 litres (5 pints) of cordial…plenty to see you through the rest of the year.

Here’s what you’ll need:

30 elderflower heads
6 pints (approx 3 litres) of boiling water
900g of caster sugar
50g of citric acid (you’ll find this at any local chemist)
1 unwaxed lemon
2 unwaxed lime

Gently rinse the elderflowers…this will remove any dirt and little critters!

Using a very large bowl, carefully pour the boiling water over the caster sugar.  Stir the mixture well and leave it to cool.

Add the citric acid, sliced lemon and limes and finally the elderflowers.

Leave the mixture to cool in a safe place for approx 24 hrs, stirring occasionally.

The final step is to strain the mixture through muslin.  Once this is done the mixture is ready to be bottled (bottles should be new and ideally sterilized).  What I love about the cordial is that it keeps well and it also makes a great gift presented in a bottle with a tag.  The cordial will keep for months and even longer if you freeze it (if you decide to freeze some, make sure that it’s in a plastic container or bottle).

Enjoy!

Win 1 of 10 fabulous hessian hamper bags full to bursting with treats!
For your chance to win, all you have to do is leave a review for a fabulous place or producer featured on fabulousplaces.co.uk Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire…simple as that!
Closing date is Friday 14th May 2010.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Honeybuns for kindly donating such a fab competition prize!  To find out more about Honeybuns click here to visit their website.

Happy reviewing!

Debs

**UPDATE**
I am delighted to announce that the next fabulousplaces.co.uk event will be taking place on the evening of Thursday 4th March at the stunning Blackbrook House nr Belper.

Indulgence Evening
Shopping, demonstrations & indulgence
Thursday 4th March 2010
Blackbrook House nr Belper, Derbyshire
Tickets are £5 each (event is free to Derbyshire Card holders)
Click here to get your ticket

Guests will receive a drink, mini cupcake & goody bag on arrival.  There will be a selection of fabulous places and producers to browse and there will be demonstrations being held throughout the evening.  Blackbrook House will also be holding cheese and wine tasting.  With the event being so close to Mothers Day, it will be the perfect opportunity to find something special for Mum.  Even better…why not take your Mum with you for a treat.

The event will be supporting the Wirksworth Rotary Club Aquabox Scheme, which sends vital resources and water filtering units to locations of natural disasters like the recent Haiti earthquake.  Proceeds from the entry ticket and raffle will be donated to the charity.

Exhibitors include:

Quirky Cookies & Cakes
Cocomine Chocolates
Lucy Sheeran Cards
Anney Grace Jewellery
Cameo Cupcakes
Housley & Co
Blossom Tree
Jamie Oliver Home & Giftware
Ribbon
Hearts & Homespun
Nina Carolyn Jewellery
Carol Cummins (handmade home accessories)
Lavender grey
Jack Rabbits
Eco Eco

More fabulous businesses added daily…

Click here to get your ticket to the Indulgence Evening
Click here to get your Derbyshire Card.  If you are already a Derbyshire Card holder please click here to let us know you will be attending.

I would like to say a big thank you to the following businesses for supporting this event:
Blackbrook House, Belper
Dorset Cereals
Teapigs
Cameo Cupcakes
Quirky Cookies & Cakes

The Derbyshire Card is your perfect companion when visiting fabulous shops, cafes, farm shops and with many of the producers featured on the website.

The Derbyshire Card costs just £10 and gives you 12 months of fabulous offers and discounts.  In addition, there will be exclusive Card holder events held throughout the year for you to attend.  You will also receive a fabulous cotton shopper bag absolutely free!

Click here to find out more.