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Farewell Elderflowers

18th June 2014 By Urvashi Roe 25 Comments

Did elderflower season start last longer last year?  I don’t know about you but I think I have blinked and missed it.  I don’t even remember walking around the allotment inhaling the wondrous scent.  I think that may be because they’ve moved the manure right next to the tree!

elderflower

Stunning elderflower blooms already gone

An ancient and wondrous plant

A couple of months ago, I went on a foraging walk with Monica Wilde.  We passed an elder tree and she stopped to explain the medicinal qualities.  I was fascinated at how old some of the remedies dated back to.  She explained that the roots of the tree can be used as a diuretic and the leaves and flowers are used for tea which was a ‘cure-all’ for coughs, colds and general nasal inflammation.  As she spoke I remembered also my trip to Kentwell Manor in Suffolk where the power of elderflower did somewhat help relive my hay fever symptoms and itchy eyes. I think I would need to get over all the sneezing from the pollen before any of that was effective sadly.  Nay. Elderflower medicine is not for me.

Perfect Pairings

My interests lie in devouring it!  I managed to find enough sprigs to pair with lemon in my Elderflower and Lemon Marmalade.  Which was the luscious filling for a simple Victoria Sponge cake this weekend.

Classic Victoria Sponge with Elderflower and Lemon Marmalade filling

Classic Victoria Sponge with Elderflower and Lemon Marmalade filling

But here are some wonderful recipes I’ve been drooling over and experimenting with that pair elderflower with different botanicals that you might also like.

  • Monica Shaw’s Strawberry and Elderflower Fruit Leather
  • Gin, Cucumber and Elderflower Lollies – I must confess I have not tried these in lolly form but the combination is bloody marvellous as a G&T variation
  • Elderflower Marshmallows by Bill Granger
  • Elderflower and Kiwi Pavlova by Twigg Studios
  • Elderflower and Orange Zest Ice Cream by Ruby Violet

I’ll keep pinning some more ideas onto my dedicated Elderflower Pinterest Board as it seems to be very on trend to forage this year so this ancient flower is very much in the spotlight.

What’s your perfect elderflower pairing? Do you still have elderflower near where you live? 

 

Related

Filed Under: Sweet Tagged With: Allotment, cake, elderflower

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Comments

  1. The Gilded Teapot says

    18th June 2014 at 10:00 pm

    Beautiful recipes. Must try the marshmallows… I was given a bottle of elderflower gin for my birthday, makes a great elderflower gin fizz muddled with some mint. Such a wonderful ingredient!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      18th June 2014 at 11:03 pm

      Lovely. I’m steeping some in vodka so let’s see how that goes!

      Reply
  2. thegardendeli says

    18th June 2014 at 10:39 pm

    Our elderflowers must be a bit behind yours – they’re just flowering now, and the scent is fantastic (but then there’s no manure for it to compete with!). I was going to try elderflower and strawberry jam this year… the lemon marmalade idea sounds good too.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      18th June 2014 at 10:42 pm

      Oh you lucky thing! The strawberry is just a classic. I haven’t had any crop yet. Fingers crossed. I’ll have top air that with something else though!

      Reply
  3. garethhevans says

    19th June 2014 at 8:13 am

    Elderflower and gooseberries for me, please.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      19th June 2014 at 6:25 pm

      Perfect. Vivian Lloyd has a great recipe for a jam in that combo

      Reply
      • garethhevans says

        19th June 2014 at 11:32 pm

        Thanks the jam does sound good. One day I’ll try meadowsweet with gb.

        Reply
  4. Southbourne Gardens says

    19th June 2014 at 9:04 am

    It seems to have completely passed my by this year. Lovely cake!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      19th June 2014 at 6:25 pm

      Thank you! I’m missing the flavour. Only half bottle jam left 🙁

      Reply
  5. Rachel Lucas says

    19th June 2014 at 9:04 am

    I’m preparing for my Farmer’s Market stall next week, Urvashi…I made lemon & elderflower syrup last Friday which is in the fridge ready to drizzle on the lemon loaf cakes. I agree, though…usually there’s such an obvious foamy splash of elder flowers, particularly at the road sides…but I haven’t really noticed that this year. It seems that any flowers I’ve found have been almost by accident! X

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      19th June 2014 at 6:24 pm

      Indeed. A happy accident I might add. Your syrup sounds lovely. Would be great on cheesecake too I imagine

      Reply
  6. Cathy says

    19th June 2014 at 11:39 am

    We have loads of elderflowers near us, and I made my usual cordial again this year. We always have elderflower head pancakes too. 🙂 After our heatwave last week they are going over now though. I sometimes make liqueur, or add some cordial to strawberry jam.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      19th June 2014 at 6:23 pm

      I didn’t get a chance to make fritters though I did manage to eat some at my friend Monica’s house. So are the pancakes similar to the fritters?

      Reply
  7. Vasun says

    22nd June 2014 at 12:25 pm

    I’ve never tasted/smelled elderflowers before. What do they taste/smell like?

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      23rd June 2014 at 1:20 pm

      They are very fragrant. A bit like the heady smell of jasmine. The taste is sweet nectar. You can taste the scent

      Reply
      • Vasun says

        24th June 2014 at 12:09 pm

        Wonderful description! Wow. I can almost imagine how the air must smell like when they’re all abloom! So beautiful the wonders of nature are.

        Reply
        • Urvashi Roe says

          25th June 2014 at 10:24 pm

          I love it even though it makes me weep with hayfever

          Reply
  8. Sally says

    22nd June 2014 at 1:57 pm

    That cake looks divine – a truly botanical bake. Elderberry trees hold so many special memories from my childhood for me.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      23rd June 2014 at 1:20 pm

      Now the elderberry. That’s a whole new discovery and culinary journey that it am waiting upon. I remember throwing them at my sisters on the way home from school. Ha! How cross they got and my mother too.

      Reply
  9. judemagee.com says

    23rd June 2014 at 1:16 pm

    I thought the season was quite long this year, I picked my first Elderflowers on May 1st (very early) and the last garnering was at the weekend. I did have to trek around a lot of trees though. We love your marmalade, I made a second batch, the freezer has plenty of cordial and I’ve made gin, salt and vinegar. I’m off to look at you a Elderflower board, I have one myself, so I’ll pin from yours to mine!

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      23rd June 2014 at 1:18 pm

      Ooh I has no idea you could freeze cordial. What a great idea. I’ve scrambled the allotment for the last few sprigs this weekend and made sugar too. I shall wait impatiently for next year 🙁

      Reply
  10. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

    23rd June 2014 at 6:39 pm

    I have never eaten elderflowers before, I am going to have to give it a go.

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      27th June 2014 at 5:41 pm

      If you’re lucky enough to have some left near you the fritters are an easy way to start. I suppose you could also chop them into a pancake batter as I know you’re not a fan of the deep fried 🙂

      Reply
  11. Mollie at Yumbles says

    26th June 2014 at 10:18 am

    Great post, never knew that the delicious Elderflower had so many great qualities! 🙂

    Reply
    • Urvashi Roe says

      26th June 2014 at 10:19 am

      Thank you Mollie. It’s a wonder tree for sure! berries are yet to come. I’m looking forward to making elderflower port with those 🙂

      Reply

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Hi I'm Urvashi!

I love food. This blog is a little glimpse into my foodie world which is an escape from two teenage girls, a busy job and my little cafe.

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