Elderflower

Sambucus nigra · Edible flower

40 pairings

Elderflower is the broad, flat-topped cluster of tiny creamy-white blossoms borne by the European elder (Sambucus nigra), a large shrub of the moschatel family. Picked in early summer, the lacy flower heads carry a sweet, heady muscat-floral scent that perfumes cordials, fritters, sparkling drinks and the liqueur St-Germain.

Picking a good onedrag

Just opened, creamy and honey-scentedBrowned and limp, smelling sour

Shop freshThe flower is the food. Leaves, stems, bark and green berries are cyanogenic: strip and cook the florets. A part rule, not a scare - cordial and fritters are ordinary foods.Everyday best

Where it came fromA named edible-flower supplier, unsprayed

The floretsMostly open, a few small green buds still shut

The green stalkGreen, still firm, cut end drying

The head in the handSoftening, the umbel closing in a little

Smell at the headSweet and floral, needs a nose up close

What to look for, from just opened, creamy and honey-scented to browned and limp, smelling sour.

Preparing