My friend Miranda, who took time out from her busy Mother-of-the-Bride duties to have lunch with us recently, was amused when I photographed her drink.. Mr Saturday Night merely rolled his eyes and assured her that she’d get used to it..!
As some of you may know, I am a big fan of a Dressed Pimm’s when the weather permits, but this MotB had places to be, so I checked the cupboards to rustle up a non-alcoholic version. That bottle of Elderflower Cordial came into its own today.. I really enjoyed it..
EQUIPMENT:
- A big jug, a pretty one if you have it..
- A wooden or other spoon for stirring
- To Serve: Big balloon glasses (the sort used for G+T’s these days) or large red wine glasses
INGREDIENTS: To make one 1.5 litre jug
- 100mls Elderflower Cordial (I used Belvoir Farms)
- 6 strawberries, sliced into 3-4 pieces
- about 15cms of Cucumber, cut down the middle, seeds removed and one half cut into half-moons, the other cut into thin lengths
- Half a crunchy apple, cut into thin wedges
- 1 lemon, cut in half, seeds removed and sliced into half-moons
- Big handful of fresh mint
- a good-sized bowl of ice
- Sparkling water to top it all off
METHOD:
- Pour the Elderflower cordial into the jug
- Add the fruit and cucumber
- Top up with Sparkling water until the jug is about 2/3rds full
- Add the mint.
- Give it all a good stir, then put into the fridge for about an hour to let the flavours mingle
- When you’re ready to serve, give it another stir, throw in the ice, and top up with the rest of the sparkling water
- Have a sip to make sure you can taste the elderflower, then stir once more, and serve.
NOTES:
- It’s worth starting this off an hour before you need it, so that the fruit and cucumber has time to mingle.
- You can easily double this recipe for parties.
- To top up an existing jug- add 80mls Elderflower, and sparkling water, then taste before adding ice. Leave the in fruit that’s already in the jug, and add a bit more if required.
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx