Celebrating Elderflower season with Belvoir

I’m so excited for the start of June tomorrow. May has been a great month but I can’t wait for more sunshine – mainly so the kids can play out more! Did you know that the beginning of June also marks the traditional start of summer when the Elderflower bursts into flower in our English hedgerows?

Baking Madeleine Hot Air Balloons with Lisa Faulkner

Elderflower sums up Summer perfectly for me. We had an Elderflower tree in the garden of our old house and every year my husband promised to try making our own cordial. We never did get round to it but that’s going to change after today! My son and I were invited to spend the day with Lisa Faulkner and the Belvoir team to create some delicious Summery bakes using Belvoir Elderflower Cordial.

She showed us how to make some really fun Madeleine Hot Air Balloons which my son really enjoyed. We whipped up some Madeleines with a splash of Belvoir Elderflower Cordial and decorated them with coloured icing, sweetened with more  Belvoir Elderflower Cordial. Whilst we didn’t win the prize for the best decorated bakes we did have the most fun. I think my son probably ate more than he decorated too! The recipe can be found on their website, along with a few other delicious recipes using Belvoir Elderflower Cordial, if you fancy having a go.

As well as our own Madeleine tin so we can re-create the recipe at home, we were also gifted a Kilner bottle so we can try making our own Elderflower Cordial. I can’t wait to go foraging for some Elderflower! We learned a little bit about the history of Belvoir Fruit Farms too who have been making the country’s finest elderflower cordials and presses for over 30 years. I was fascinated that the original recipe is still being made, using only natural ingredients with no preservatives or additives.

Take part in the Elderflower Harvest

Apparently the secret is to use flowers which have been picked in the sunshine, heavy with pollen. The picking season is quite short which is why production has become a community affair. As well as their 90 acre organic orchard, people living around Belvoir are encouraged to collect wild elderflower growing around the countryside. There are five Picking Stations for bags of Elderflower heads to be dropped off, a fee is paid per weight, and only the freshest Elderflower heads picked that day are accepted. You can find out more on the Belvoir website.

Somehow we got our Madeleine Hot Air Balloons home as well as a few bottles of Belvoir Elderflower Cordial to enjoy. A big thank you to Belvoir for inviting us to such a fun day out.

We finally did make our own elderflower cordial. Find out how to make your own elderflower cordial here.