How to Elderflower
Cordial, Medicine, Savouries & More
Before we get into it, I would like to say that all pictures in this article have been collected over a number of years as a document and testament to the beauty of elderflower. If you like my photos, and you want to follow along with my culinary and nature escapades, be sure to follow me on Instagram. If you would like to use my photos, please seek permission first and always include a credit. Thank you.
It’s mid May and elderflower is everywhere. The evening breeze is fragrant and warm, the air has a glitter-like quality to it from all of the pollen, and every blossom-filled breath makes me imagine being swallowed up whole by the greenery in one heavenly gulp.
By the river the elderflower frames the banks, bowing her lovely head to gaze at herself in the water’s looking-glass. Elderflower is no flimsy flower though, her open palms outstretched to the skies from an intricate network of stems and branches interwoven with the hedgerows.
It’s hard to return to the daily grind when the days are as beautiful as these, and elderflower’s white stars illuminate the shadows of dense greenery.
Alas, daily life must continue, though there’s no reason not to take a little of the outdoors indoors, especially when it tastes as good as elderflower and there’s plenty of it. Of course, there’s cordial to be made, but had you ever explored the elder tree’s other culinary virtues? Let’s start with cordial, of course, though this article goes into the detail of the many uses I have dabbled with over the years as I discover them. I haven’t included the one time I made elderflower fritters because, honestly, they were not good.
Elderflower Cordial
This year I am using Georgina Hayden’s method, which sees about 15 heads of elderflower plunged into an off-the-boil pot with sugar, honey, water, and really good lemons. Left overnight for 24hrs, the next day you have a wonderful concoction that needs to be bottled and refrigerated. There are other methods that involve the elderflower going into the bubbling pan for a while, and also methods that use citric acid as a preservative (and a jolt of extra flavour). Work to find the one that suits you best. As someone who likes to play around, my 2024 edition has chosen this path, with the addition of rose geranium leaves because they are taking over my kitchen. As it’s still brewing as I write this, I’ll have to come back to you on how it goes. I am curious to see what the flavour is like with the addition of Chinese mountain honey that I brought home with me from Yunnan. As gorgeous as where it came from, hopefully.
Note: if you are making anything with cordial, be sure to pick the flowers on a sunny day so that the blossoms are open. Failure to do so will result in a markedly bland ‘jizzy’ flavour. Gross, but true.
Elderflower Medicine
Last year, I was thrilled to discover this simple medicine recipe from Botanica Health - an amazing source of reassuring content on how to support your health naturally. Naomi and her father, both herbalists, post their conversations and creations and it was here that they spoke about how elderflower has long been used to support the respiratory system at a time of the year when viruses of this nature are abound. It’s as if elderflower just knew to bloom in May. I translate this as an excuse for cordial everyday, or you can also make a tincture with strong vodka, or try submerging elderflower in golden syrup as Naomi and father suggest to draw out all of the goodness of the flowers and take a couple of spoonfuls daily. Click the link above for quantities and other reasons why it’s a great idea.
Elderflower Honey
So we’ve covered sugar, and inverted sugar, but what about complex sugars like honey? This is my favourite method for further usage with savoury dishes. I don’t follow a recipe or ratio but simply stuff plenty of elderflower into jars of runny honey and leave them to brew for a few days before straining. Then I use said honey to drizzle over things (or eat it off the spoon).
Pictured below alongside a lilac flower and rose bud experiment. They all work.
Elderflower Savoury Dishes
Yep, elderflower can make an excellent addition to summer dishes. Pictured here I have used elderflower honey to make a vinaigrette with dijon mustard, wine vinegar, and olive oil or mild nut oil (no specific measurements, just eyeballed, shaken in a jar and adjusted to taste with salt and pepper). You can pour it over salads like this - raspberries, sheep’s cheese gouda and raw courgette ribbons.
Or drizzle it over ripe figs, thyme, and labneh on wholemeal toast.
I quite like cooking white onions very slowly in a splash of elderflower cordial and vinegar to make a burger relish with fresh dill, too. A crunchy green lettuce is a good flavour carrier here.
Try elderflower honey trickled over baked cheese like Baron Bigod with whole cloves of garlic, and rosemary, with plenty of crusty bread to scoop it all up.
Or as a garnish for fish dishes, like these butter seared scallops in Matcha sauce.
Elderflower Cakes
It’s probably less surprising to imagine elderflower as part of a cake or dessert than with a burger, what with its floral sweetness and citrusy notes. Adding the cordial to a buttercream adds a refreshing, summery quality, and heads of the flowers look stunning as a decoration (just make sure you shake off any bugs first).
Cordial also makes a great soaker for sponges or tiramisu-style puddings like this black forest gateaux misu. I cooked the cherries in the syrup and added them to the layers of mascarpone and chocolate. It was so good, we had it three times last summer. I have plans this year to make a polenta-style cake with elderflower drizzle.
You might also consider adding elderflower cordial to a lemon curd. Elderflower and lemon are marvellous companions. Enjoy this on toast with plenty of butter or, again, as part of a summery cake like this one I made last year for a friend’s birthday.
Another thief as thick to elderflower as lemon is gooseberry. Simply cook gooseberries a while in elderflower cordial, allow to cool and spoon over meringues with whipped cream, or turn into curd for a meringue pie (I used pink ones on this occasion and I think a couple of cherries for colour).
Elderflower Drinks
Elderflower cordial will easily mix with vodka or gin for liqueurs or cocktails like the elderflower sour pictured below, though you can also cold infuse whole, fresh heads of flowers with tea. I am still playing with this concept, though it worked well as pictured above with a First Flush Darjeeling (from AVANTCHA) when brewed with the tea and cold water and left in the fridge for around 6 hours.
Pictured at the very bottom is a chamomile elderflower gin liqueur topped up with a splash of soda water.
As you can see, the elderflower possibilities are quite wide. As it’s the beginning of the season here, I am excited to try new ideas and ways to update this document with later. Is there anything else you might suggest? I’d love to know.
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I don’t know what I’m into more, these ethereal and mouth watering photos or your beautiful words. So much love for the elderflower elegance!
Lovely!! We make a Romanian naturally fermented elderflower cordial every year- mine aren’t open yet but I’m looking forward to it!