I love this time of year – hedgerows become beautifully confettied with the golden, sweet-scented blossoms of elderflower. I’ve also wanted to gather them and turn them into delicious cordials and syrups but, for some reason or other, always seem to miss the season – until now! So, at the weekend, when we had surprisingly sunny weather, I headed out to explore the local lanes and see what wonderful free bounty I could find. I looked online for recipes to try and opted for a combination of two: one by Lotte Duncan, the other by Tom Barker Bowles. The result is pretty good so far!

Step one: Gather 30 large elderflower heads

Step 2: Prepare your flavourings – slices of zesty fresh lemon and orange

Step 3: Steep all the ingredients in a sugar syrup, for at least 24 hours

Step 4: Strain and funnel into bottles, then enjoy!