Elderflower Cordial and confusion at the chemists.

Its the perfect time of year to go out looking for those beautifully scented elder flowers in the countryside. Here near my home the hedgerows are full of the delicate and very fragrant elderflower heads.
I have been longing to concoct some cordial and finally got round to it last week. As recipe read for citric acid I thought is going to be simple, but turned into quite a mission:)You can buy citric acid online or at your local chemist as I did. When I walked to my local chemist they told me that just run out of stock. Following day I managed to visit eight chemist shops and guess what? They also out of stock! Odd, I thought. So on my mission to get my citric acid I drove some miles to nearest chemist. The lady asked me ,,what it was for?,, and I explained to which she replied, "oh well you seem genuine"??? and reached under the counter to get me a box of citric acid. It would seem that is used for nefarious doings, which I never heard before. Strange.

There are lots of recipes on the Internet, but this one seemed pretty straightforward.
1.To make the sugar syrup bring 1and 1/2 litres of water to the boil with 1 kg of caster sugar, stir to check that all the sugar has dissolved.
2.Whilst this bubbles away, clean the flower heads by shaking any bugs off, I also gave them a quick dunk in a bowl of water.
3.Peel two unwaxed lemons with a veggie peeler and then slice up the rest of the lemon and place in the bowl of elder flowers.

4.Pour over the syrup and stir in 50g. of citric acid.

5.Cover and leave to stand for at least 24 -48 hours.
6.Strain trough muslin laid on a sieve and pour in to sterilised glass bottles. I do wash them first with hot water and place in a warm oven for 15 min. Using a jug and funnel pour into the hot sterilised bottles. The sealed bottles should be good, if kept in the fridge or cold place, for a couple of months.

I think this clean, fresh and crisp cordial drink really does capture the essence of the English countryside on a hot day.You can dilute with water, pour into Champagne or Prosecco.Wonderful!
Also you can freeze the elder flower heads in a plastic bag for up to 6 months. And make your fresh drink some time in Autumn:) I will be making this cordial again next year for my wedding:)x

Teacups and cupcakes

Finally my first experience of attending Summer fair is over:) Its been a real pleasure to plan everything for that day and a  little bit stressful too, as I felt really nervous attending such an event. Think  I can proudly say it was kind of successful day, compare that it wasn't that busy at all. I met a girl who bakes an amazing cupcakes and have a real talent at decorating wedding cakes. So one name to my contact book is added:)Also I got one possible booking for my vintage china hire and met an old lady who is willing to sell lots and lots of vintage china:))) I have been very lucky, as my good friend Tara stayed with me all day long and didn't even minded a very chilly evening outside:) She was proud to wear my teacup apron too. My son Marius baked me some chocolate brownies and little mini meringues to take with me. I even got my amazing earrings in a shape of teapot! I think I'm getting a bit crazy with all those teapots! So for now my teacups and teapots are back in their boxes and are safely stored in the cupboard. Shortly I will tell you my story how it all began from two china teacups in my kitchen dresser and enrolled into  60 more pieces of beautiful vintage china which I decided to turn into hiring business. But all about is next time...with love

Lewis Simply Swinging!

Country Fair at Broadlands

With British strawberries already in season our Summer is finally here. And with such a long Bank holidays and Jubilee celebrations all country is buzzing with excitement! Craft fairs, vintage fairs, street party's and so much more to enjoy:) So this weekend we decided to visit one of Hampshire's biggest summer fairs.

The morning clouds did not  promised a nice day, but for our surprise we had just few single drops of rain!The Sun was out there with us for most of the day:) For me of course it was all craft stalls that took my attention, those beautiful miniature Doll houses all dressed for Jubilee celebrations. I loved long rows of jars with home made pickles, jams, and chutneys.

Strawberries and cream!

I love this gorgeous 1950's dress

My darling Jason was so impressed with all the chickens, ducks and roosters that it looks like one day we might have to have a big farm :) I better get another pair of wellies:)

Vintage lawnmowers - just imagine cutting your garden grass with one of these:)

After a beautiful day at Country fair I made this very yummy Pavlova with summer berries ! Hope you all had a fabulous Diamond Jubilee weekend.  Last of all I love this picture of  Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's who visited the Broadlands in Hampshire in November  1947 on their honeymoon.

xxxxx