Elderflower
Sambucus nigra · Edible flower
Top 10 pairings
Elderflowers grow in flat, lacy heads of tiny creamy-white blossoms, picked from the elder shrub in early summer. Their sweet, heady muscat scent 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 freshEveryday bestLeaves, stems, bark and green berries can release cyanide. Strip the florets and cook them.
Where it came fromEdible-flower supplier, unsprayed
The floretsMostly open, a few green buds
The green stalkGreen, still firm, cut end drying
The head in the handSoftening, the head closing in
Smell at the headSweet, floral, only up close