Remember my homemade Elderflower Cordial? I’ve mostly just been drinking it thus far, but as my original intention was to use it to cook with, I thought I’d better get a move on before it’s all gone. The weekend provided the perfect opportunity: gooseberries have made it to the market stall and they are cheap as chips right now.
I’ve always loved gooseberries; when I was a little girl I used them in my many potions (I was always a witch rather than a fairy). Their uncanny resemblance to eyeballs or frogspawn, not to mention the alluring green colour makes them particularly suitable for witch’s brews.
This is a decidedly more grown up potion (and edible to boot), but you still get to boil them up and squish them about… And don’t let anyone stop you from chanting ‘double, double, toil and trouble / Fire burn and cauldron bubble’ as you stir away.
Serves: 4
1 punnet of gooseberries
1/2 bottle elderflower cordial
Top and tail the gooseberries and chuck them into a saucepan with the elderflower cordial. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gooseberries disintegrate.
Pass the mixture through a sieve and decant the liquid into a container. Allow to cool, then pop in the freezer. Check on it every couple of hours and give it a stir to break up the crystals so it freezes evenly.
Enjoy as a zingy palate cleanser or light and virtuous pudding (best not to tell anyone about the witch bit though, tends to put people off).