As the elderflower around The Mother-in-Law’s garden bloomed, so did Amy, one of The Lodgers living in the basement. Heavily pregnant with her first baby, Amy gracefully padded around the house like a lioness last week, as the onset of labour took hold and rested its caressing contractions across her belly. And as the tiny, star-shaped flowers opened on the elder, so that each flower head became a picture of webbed-lace hanging languidly from its green stem, the baby’s nest ripened and he made his way into the world.
Webs and nests seem rather appropriate for the baby has, since his 24th week in utero, been called ‘Spiderman’ by Zippy. She has yet to marvel at the comic (see what I did there) and is too young for the movie but we have a rather nifty, jazzy version of the song, which she leaps around to. (You know the one.) So this tiny little being – albeit one with rather long limbs and fingers – shall forever more be known as the wall-climbing, web-spinning superhero. Although I do wonder what Stan Lee would think if he knew that somewhere in the world, “Spiderman did a poo in his nappy”.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I was on hand to help Amy with the birth (having trained as a doula a couple of years ago after a little encouragement from my friend, the most wonderful Hackney Doula). On Wednesday, I’d been making elderflower ice lollies to a delicate soundtrack of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ drifting up the basement stairs. Then, as evening fell, Amy’s partner Anton came to fetch me. Armed with my birth kit – which pretty much consists of pictures of opening roses, smelly oils, a jug, a mirror, condoms and straws (no, I didn’t nick an Ann Summers party bag) – I hoped the floral scent of summer was still hanging on me as I’d been scoffing hummus for dinner. And no labouring woman should have to endure a birth partner encouraging her to “relax” with garlic breath.
Two hours later, Spiderman flew into the wide-open wings of his parents, and I drifted upstairs to bed on a cloud of rhapsody.
The next day, we returned to the garden and celebrated with good food and elderflower treats: elderflower and honey ice lollies for the children, and elderflower, wild strawberry and mint champagne cocktails for the grown-ups. It was the perfect way to welcome the little superhero downstairs.
Elderflower and Honey Ice Lollies
These are perfect refreshing summertime treats for grown-ups and children alike. Cheap and easy to prepare, they are fun to make with kids and a healthy alternative to day-glo mainstream sugary options. Elderflower is known to be a preventative remedy for hay fever as the astringent tannins the plant contains help dry up streaming noses and eyes, and reduce inflammation and irritation of the mucous membranes. (This will be boosted if you use that other well-known remedy, local honey, as well.)
Makes 6 lollies, using a standard set of lolly moulds
Ingredients
10 elderflower heads
400ml cold water (filtered ideally)
3 tablespoons of honey (I use local to support my local producers and bees!)
Method
Pick your elderflower heads. Do this in the sunshine as it guarantees the best flavour from the blossoms. Also, choose the heads with the whitest-looking flowers and the most pollen on them, rather than any that are yellowing and ageing.
Remove any insects but don’t wash your flowers as you’ll rinse away the pollen and thus some of the flavour. (You’ll be straining the liquor so any insects or debris that go unspotted will be caught anyway.)
Place the flower heads in a bowl and set aside.
Warm the water in a saucepan over a gentle heat and stir in the honey until dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour the liquid over the flowers.
Cover the mixture with a lid or a dish cloth and leave to infuse overnight or for at least 12 hours.
Spot the mixture… somewhere on The Mother-in-Law’s dresser
Place a muslin or cheese cloth over a sieve and strain the liquid into a bowl or jug.
Carefully pour the liquid into your lolly moulds and place in the freezer until set.
Elderflower Cordial
Elderflower cordials and syrups are so often made with sugar, and although I wanted to make mine with honey I decided to use sugar as I had loads in the cupboard. I also figured I’d be using the cordial sparingly and for special occasions, so what the heck. My recipe uses less sugar than conventional recipes though, so taste during the 2 week ‘ferment’ and add more if your palette likes a sweeter syrup. It’s also a very simple recipe; no vinegar or citric acid needed, just patience.
You’ll need a sterilised glass jar with a lid or a preserving jar for this. Sterilising is easy: wash your jar and lid with warm, soapy water. Rinse and dry. Place the jar (not the rubber seal/lid) in a hot oven for 10 minutes and then carefully remove (it gets HOT). Voila! Now you have a sterilised jar.
Ingredients
25 elderflower heads
Juice of 5-6 lemons
600g granulated sugar
Method
(As above) Pick your elderflower heads. Do this in the sunshine as it guarantees the best flavour from the blossoms. Also, choose the heads with the whitest-looking flowers and the most pollen on them, rather than any that are yellowing and ageing.
Remove any insects but don’t wash your flowers as you’ll rinse away the pollen and thus some of the flavour. (You’ll be straining the liquor so any insects or debris that go unspotted will be caught anyway.)
Remove the flowers from their green stems and place the white blossoms into your sterilised jar. Pour over the lemon juice (trying to avoid pips) and cover with a lid (or cling film is just fine). If your juice doesn’t cover the flowers, top up with more juice or a little boiled and cooled water.
Leave somewhere cool and dry (but not the fridge) for two weeks, gently shaking the mixture once a day.
After two weeks, place a muslin or cheese cloth over a sieve and strain the mixture into a bowl or jug. (Tip: press down on the mixture firmly – I use a ladle – to ensure you get out all the liquid.)
Pour the cordial into a clean, sterilised glass jar or bottle and store in the fridge for up to a month.
Serving suggestion: drop a few wild strawberries and a couple of crushed mint leaves into a glass. Pour on a tablespoon of elderflower cordial and top up with some chilled bubbles of your choice.