My beautiful sambucus nigra is still blooming, so I was on the lookout for another recipe in which I could use the flowers. These days, I find so much inspiration on Instagram; one of my Insta-buddies had just posted a photo of some delicious-looking elderflower curd she’d made, so I thought I’d give that a go.

She used the wild variety of elderflower which has delicate off white flowers however, the flowers on mine are tinged purple. I wondered how that would affect the colour of the resulting curd. I was worried that it would turn out a sludgy brown, but I needn’t have been apprehensive. It had a slight pinkish blush to the usual yellow colour.

This recipe makes a single, average-sized jar, but you can easily multiply the quantities. If you don’t think that you’ll consume all the curd in a week or two, make sure that you thoroughly sterilise all your post-cooking equipment; jars, lids, jelly bag/sieve, spoon/spatula, funnel etc. Simply boil them up in a large jam pan/saucepan of water.

The taste was gorgeous; rich and fragrant. So far, we’ve had it on fruit scones, but it would be perfect in sandwiches, toast or between the layers of a Victoria sponge. This is definitely an elderflower recipe I’ll be returning to every summer.

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Elderflower curd

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Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Condiment

Cuisine British

Ingredients

  

• 3 large or 6 small elderflower heads you can use either white or pink flowers
• 50 g/1¾oz unsalted butter
• 200 g/7oz white granulated sugar
• 1½ lemons zest & juice
• 2 eggs

Instructions

 

• Sterilise a lidded jam jar, jelly bag or sieve, spatula and measuring jug. Set aside for the end
• Put all the ingredients except the eggs into a saucepan over a low heat. Stir until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved
• Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl and allow the contents to cool slightly (about 5 minutes)
• In the meantime, bring a saucepan of water to a simmer (ensure the heatproof bowl can sit on top of the saucepan without the water coming into contact with the base)
• Add the eggs to the mixture and put the heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan of simmering water
• Stir occasionally until the mixture thickens to the consistency of custard (about 45 minutes)
• Pour the mixture through the sterilised jelly bag/sieve into the measuring jug. Push the contents through using the spatula, if necessary
• Transfer the curd into the sterilised jar and cover immediately with the lid. Allow to cool completely before using

Keyword curd, elderflower, forage