Due to the bad weather earlier in the summer, this was our first trip to a local ‘pick your own’. Sadly for them they hadn’t managed to make much grow this year, but did have plenty of berries, raspberries, loganberries, red currants… so we came away with far too many punnets of ripe red berries. Little S doesn’t even like berries, and I doubt even Big S could eat that many!
Some were scoffed straight away, some made jam and lots made this delicious, refreshing homemade cordial. It’s nothing like a shop-bought cordial, more a sweetened thick berry puree that tastes wonderful when diluted with sparkling water. Although make sure you remember it isn’t concentrated like the bought variety, so you’ll have to use almost half/half measures. Basically it’s late summer in a glass – yum!
Red Berry Cordial (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)
makes 1 wine bottle full
- 800g mixed berries ( I used, 200g red currants, 100g loganberries, 500g raspberries)
- 350g caster sugar
– Sterilise a glass bottle
– Blend up the fruit with 100ml water
– Pass through a sieve, pressing the pulp and seeds to extract all the juice
– In a saucepan heat up the sugar with 100ml water, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
– Pour the sugar syrup into the strained juice. Stir well.
– Pour into the glass bottle.
– Keep in the fridge and use within 2 weeks.
