After running out of Dandelion Flower Cordial I decided to adapt the recipe a little to add some extra oomph for my next batch. As such the recipe is very similar.

• Due to no preservatives or additional ingredients, this cordial has a high sugar content to prevent it from going bad.
• Dandelion flowers can be collected around March to April when the sun is in full swing to ensure the flowers are out and full of goodness.
• Can also double as a great hot tea drink to combat colds, enjoy with hot water and a slice of lemon.

Ingredients

• 100 Dandelion Flower Heads at least – the more the better
• 1kg Demerara brown sugar estimate
• half a lemon
• Knob of fresh Ginger Root

Method

Collect at least 100 dandelion flower heads fully opened and trim off the green bases. It’s okay to get a few green bits in with the petals and they usually get in the way.

Give the petals a quick wash/rinse but be careful not to loose all the flavour!

 

Grate the ginger with a fine tooth grater and squeeze out the ginger juice into a saucepan.

Boil the petals and ginger juice with roughly 1 pint of water and allow to cool and steep overnight in a covered bowl.

Add the juice from a half a lemon and strain out the petals thoroughly.

Weigh the liquid (a bit tricky I know) and for every 1g of liquid you have created add 0.95g of sugar. You can use different sugar types if you prefer but they will affect the flavour, this time I used Demerara Brown sugar for a more caramel flavour.

Stir in the sugar and gently heat until dissolved (do not boil).

Pour contents into bottles and seal.