How to make elderflower gin

Elderflowers are the taste of summer. The flowers, tiny, white and creamy, blossom in May and June, bringing hedgerows to life and attracting bees and butterflies to the sweet nectar.

Elderflower can be made into a cordial, which can be used to flavour lots of different drinks and desserts. Check out a recipe for elderflower cordial on BBC Countryfile Magazine's website. Elderflower gin goes well with a good-quality tonic water and lots of ice.

Wondering what else to use elderflower or elderberries for? Our elder guide provides more tips on identification and ideas for recipes, including elderflower fritters, elderflower sorbet and elderberry wine.

If you want to find out more about else you can forage, head on over to our foraging hub which is full of great advice and recipe ideas, such as best foraging books and our expert guide to sustainable foraging.

How to identify elderflower

Make sure you've identified the elderflower correctly - don't mistake it for other similar flower sprigs at this time of year.

The flowers should hang in clusters from the branches of trees, with a flat-topped appearance. The flowers are best when they have just burst open.

Look for creamy white flowers with a strong elderflower smell, rather than blooms that are going a bit brown around the edges.