a cake for midsummer


i made this cake for the first time last year and it turned out so nice that it has become one of my regulars. 

when the berry season was at its peak i drove to a pick-your-own farm and plucked loads of dark red strawberries. they were joined by peaches and some blueberries and became this (very early) cake for midsummer. 

you can find the recipe by nigel slater here!

 elderflower cordial










i've been waiting one whole year to try and make my own elderflower cordial (and it turned out to be much more simple than i thought).

here's what i did. you'll need...

1 organic lemon
1 organic orange (if you like)
1 kg sugar
20 g citric acid
25 elderflower blossoms

first rinse off the lemon and orange with hot water and dice them into medium sized slices.

bring 1 litre of water, sugar and citric acid to a boil. after the sugar has dissolved let cook for additional 5 minutes.

now carefully trim the stems away from the elderflower blossoms - don't wash them!

place the blossoms and the lemon/orange slices in two big clean jars (i used two 750 ml jars). pour the hot syrup into the jars and stir gently to blend it all together. store in a dark place for 3-4 days, stirring the cordial once daily.

strain the blossoms and slices from the cordial. bring the cordial to a boil once more until it's hot and pour it into sterilized bottles. store the elderflower cordial in a cool dry place for up to one year. once opened, you have to store the bottles in the refrigerator.

mix one (or two) finger-width of cordial with ice cold sparkling water and add the juice of half a lemon! hope you enjoy this summer drink as much as i do!