In Season - Elderflower

Last week the Bovingdons team threw themselves (literally!) into the hedgerows of Ripley and picked three huge sacks full of elderflowers. Chef David has since made bottles and bottles of syrup (about 102 litres!) and the office smells distractingly of English summertime.

Our syrup recipe is secret but you can find plenty online, it’s a very similar process to making homemade lemonade. You’ll need about thirty to fifty perfect heads of flowers (no brown ones), a kilo of sugar and some citric acid (find it in Waitrose or health food shops) plus any variety of secret ingredient depending on the chef. Once made, here are some ways to use your syrup:

- Make Bovingdons signature Apple Fez, cloudy apple juice, ginger ale, elderflower and mint sprigs.
- Whisk with creme fraiche, gooseberry compote and lemon zest for a perfect Fool
- Suspend summer fruits in elderflower and prosecco jelly
- Flavour pannacotta and serve with raspberries garnish with the flowers
- Fritter the flowers in the lightest tempura and serve beside strawberries
- Elderflowers can also be used in pork and duck recipes but I would proceed with caution here! It can be very, very sweet.
- Or simply add a drop to champagne, pink gin, vodka martini’s, Pimms … sip and enjoy...