Method

First, place your Elderflowers upside-down outside or on some newspaper for about an hour, to allow any small creatures to escape, but don’t wash the flowers.

Next, put the flowers into a large saucepan or bowl with the lemon zest, and pour in the boiling water, stirring gently. Allow to cool, then cover with a lid or clean tea-towel and leave to infuse for at least 24 hours (you don’t need to refrigerate it), and for a further day if you don’t mind waiting.

When the infusing is done, pour the liquid through a very fine sieve or a muslin cloth (some of us have been known to use a clean pair of unwanted tights for this!) into a large, clean saucepan, squeezing the flowers gently to get all the moisture through. Discard all the flowers and peel left in the sieve (they make good compost), then pour the juice from all three lemons into the pan and add the sugar.

Put the pan over a medium-high heat and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved and the pan is just coming up to a simmer. Take the pan off the heat, allow it to cool a little, then pour the cordial into the sterilised bottle and screw the lid on tight.

Store in the refrigerator.