Elder flower Champagne

Elder flower Champagne – A Summer Treat

I’ve always wanted to have a go at making my own elder flower champagne so thought I’d give it a go this year.  Second and third week in June is the time of the year when the flowers of the elder plant are ready but it only lasts for a couple of weeks  so you need to head out to hedgerows  this week and gather your harvest.

Snip off a few flower heads next time you’re out for a walk.

The recipe I’m using is a combination of several I’ve found on the web so fingers crossed we should be drinking our first bottle of Peach Grove bubbly in about 4 – 6 weeks, if all goes well. 🙂

It’s really simple to make Elder flower Champagne so why not give it a try.

Ingredients

• 15 Litres of water
• 5 Tablespoons of vinegar
• 3 Lemons
• 1 bag + 1lb of sugar (refined)
• 15 Elderflower heads

Method

Put the sugar into a large clean plastic container and add a kettle full of boiling water. Give it a stir to dissolve the sugar then add the cold water. Shake off the elderflower heads to remove any creepy crawlies and add to the mix.

You need a container large enough to hold 15 litres of liquid

Then, squeeze the juice of 3 lemons and then add, along with the lemons.  Finally add the vinegar and give it good stir.

Loosley fit the lid on your container or drape a piece of muslin or a tea towel over the top.

Set to one side occasionaly stirring about every 6-8 hrs.

Check it after a couple of days to make sure it’s started to ferment. Basically you should see air bubbles rising to the top.  In a few days the champagne will be ready to bottle.

Best wishes

T.