Elderflower fizz

I found a recipe for elderflower champagne in a magazine recently and having made elderflower cordial before, thought the champagne was worth a shot! Elderflowers are out in abundance at the moment and the recipe is so easy that I thought I'd share it, in case anyone else fancied having a go. So here you go….

4 litres water
625g sugar
4 large elderflower heads (strip the flowers from the stem with a fork)
2 lemons
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Put the sugar into a large container (we used a big pan with a lid) and add boiling water, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool before adding the elderflowers. Then add the juice of one of the lemons and slice the other lemon and add it to the mixture. Finally add the vinegar.

Cover with the pan lid or with a cloth or plate and leave it for a day, then strain through a fine sieve or muslin, squeezing the flowers to release the flavour. Store in screw top bottles (old, washed and sterilised wine bottles with screw caps come in handy here!) - it will be ready in about 10 days. Drink it chilled (preferably whilst enjoying the sun and reclining on a comfy chair outdoors)

It's definitely a lazy summer's day kind of recipe - pick the elderflowers, do a bit of mixing and then leave it for a bit to do its thing! I must admit I was a bit sceptical about where the fizz would come from - trying a sip of the mixture as it went into the bottles, it was a flat as an …erm…...pancake…. but some elderflower magic obviously took place as it was maturing, as there's definitely a sparkle to the finished product! Mum was our guinea pig and tried it at the weekend - she declared it delicious, so we tried it too and it is delicious………just like summer in a bottle! Have a go and see for yourself……..

(Oh and just so you know, this drink is apparently mildly alcoholic.....)