The large white flat-topped heads of the elderflower fill the hedgerows around Little Common Farm making for an abundant harvest. Sarah Lyons’ foraging instincts took her off to visit Alison Custance to find out more about her hand-picked hand stirred Elderflower Cordial

Alison and her husband Philip are second generation farmers at Little Common Farm near Sawtry. The farm orchards are full of seasonal fruits; quince, cherry, apples plums, pears and meddlers. The farmhouse garden is planted up with peppers, chillies for chutneys, garlic, runner beans, asparagus, broad beans, pumpkins, red onions and many other such vegetables that go into making a whole range of preserves, jams, jellies, chutneys and marmalades to work in time with the seasonal year.

The conservation-rich hedgerows marking out the landscape of this arable farm are resplendent with elderflowers from mid-May through to June. During this time Alison is busy hand picking, hand making and hand stirring her own recipe of Elderflower cordial in her farmhouse kitchen. Alison’s infuses elderflowers in a sugar syrup for three days and stirs once daily. This creates a cordial stronger and more full flavour. Like most old herbal recipes and drinks the cordial is said to have healing properties. I met Margaret Parsley (Alison’s mother) on Stamford Farmers’ Market, who is a case study in hand. One bottle lasts Margaret ten days and she is emphatic that it helps to build up her immunity system whilst helping with her asthma and hay fever. This aside Elderflower Cordial is simply delicious and makes for a fresh drink and tonic throughout the year. Also used in cooking, Elderflower cordial marries well with fruit, particularly gooseberries in jellies, ice cream or sorbet. Little Common Farm Elderflower Cordial adds depth of flavour drizzled over summer berries.

Come the Autumn these elderflower rich hedgerows will be bursting forth with elderberries and blackberries. Just in time for Alison to start making an elderberry jelly and pots of blackberry and apple jam. Find Little Common Farm Preserves on Stamford Farmers’ Market and Peterborough Farmers’ Market throughout the season. Contact Alison and Philip for more information on 01487 830354.

Foraging for Elderflowers

Keen to make my own Elderflower Cordial I set off to find some wild elderflowers amongst the hedgerows of my daily walks with Digger (my dachshund). It was important to find some hedgerows as far away from the roadsides as possible where the pollution would affect the quality of the flowers. I looked at several recipes and after some trial and error came up with my own. Quite simple but very satisfying.

Step 1: Forage for elderflowers. Pick 30 good sized elderflower heads and shake them to remove any insects/dirt.

Step 2: Back in the kitchen, remove the flowers from the head leaving behind as much of the stalk as you see fit.

Step 3: Put the elderflowers in a large bowl with two unwaxed lemons sliced.

Step 4: Make a sugar syrup. Place 2kg of castor sugar and 1.5 litres of water in a pan. Place over heat and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Step 5: Once sugar is dissolved add the syrup to the large bowl with the elderflower and then add in the 75g of citric acid (source this from Silver Lane Foods, Stamford).

Step 6: Cover and leave to infuse. Leave for a minimum of 24 hours (up to 3 days as Alison suggests). Stirring once or twice a day.

Step 7: Strain the cordial through a muslin (buy from the Cloth Market, Stamford) lined sieve and pour into sterilised bottles, alternatively freeze as ice cubes in trays.

Is foraging for you?

Wild Food Walk & Lunch

Saturday, 7th June, Tickets: £80

Start the day at 10am at Hambleton Hall for coffee, Lunch at 1pm

For their first ‘Wild Food Walk’, Hambleton Hall plan to walk you through some promising areas for a few hours in an effort to find wild plants that could be worthwhile from the culinary point of view. Our minder Lynne Tann-Watson has a wealth of experience. As well as organising guided walks, Lynne has written several books on herbs and their uses, holds regular talks, and has a small herbary in North West Leicestershire. For more information contact Hambleton Hall, 01572 724721