Elderberry Elixir Recipe

Make the most of dark, fragrant elderberries while they’re in season. Cooking with elderberries can get messy but it’s worth it - they’re full of health-giving properties and have been used medicinally for centuries. Here's one of the simplest recipes...

Method

1. Carefully separate your elderberries from their stalks with a fork or your hands

2. Chop up a little ginger into small pieces

3. Put the elderberries and chopped ginger into a pan and cover them with water

4. Bring to the boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly

5. Pour the mixture through a jelly bag or muslin (fine cloth) and allow the juice to drip through. Extract as much liquid as possible

6. Pour the elderberry liquid into a measuring jug, and measure how much you have. Now add equal parts sugar to the liquid mixture - so if you measured 500ml of juice, add 500g of sugar, or if you have 1 litre of liquid, add 1 kilo of sugar

7. Add the sugar and a little ground cinnamon or cinnamon stick to the strained liquid. Simmer for five minutes and then cool and pour into sterilised bottles.