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Delicious Spiced Elderberry Syrup

This deliciously spiced elderflower cordial can be served in a multitude of ways - drizzled into oatmeal/porridge, diluted in hot water for a warming drink, served with soda, and more. What's more, it's got amazing cold and flu prevention properties!
Print Recipe
Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook Time:50 minutes
Total Time:1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • Fresh elderberries as many as you can pick - I filled one carrier bag
  • A lemon
  • An orange
  • Brown sugar muscovado or demerara
  • Cloves
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Sterilised glass bottles and tops.

Instructions

  • Give your berries a good wash, and cover yourself up with an apron or wear old clothes as the berries can stain like mad.
  • Next place your berries in a stainless steel pan with half of their volume of water, and simmer for 20 minutes. Don’t allow to boil or you’ll remove some of the goodness from the berries. While they are simmering it’s good to give them a mash with a stainless steel potato masher or the back of a metal spoon to help release the berry juices. Don’t use wooden utensils unless you want them to be stained purple forever more!
  • Pass the mixture through a fine stainless steel sieve into a bowl, and allow to sit for 15 minutes or so to allow all of the liquid to drip out. Use a metal spoon to push down on the berries to ensure as much water and juice is pressed out of the berries:
  • Measure your elderberry liquid – for every 500ml of liquid you have add 250g of sugar, a few slices of lemon, a few slices of orange, a few cloves and one cinnamon stick to a stainless steel pan, and then add your liquid.
  • Stir and then let simmer for 20 minutes (my kitchen smelled like Christmas at this point, it was amazing!) and then pass it through the sieve to remove the fruit, cinnamon and cloves.
  • Place in a sterilised glass bottle (I filled a 500ml bottle) and enjoy whenever you feel a cold coming on or just when you fancy it. I would serve diluted with hot water as a tasty winter warmer. It has a lovely earthy flavour, and the spice and citrus give it that extra sweet edge: