I have made rhubarb pressé (or cordial) by accident in the past. What I mean by this is that I did not actually set out to make pressé, but it was a by-product from poaching rhubarb for some baked white chocolate and rhubarb cheesecakes. For those cheesecakes, I vacuumed the rhubarb with a couple of tablespoons each of grenadine and caster sugar and then cooked it in the water bath at 80°C for 10–12 minutes, until the rhubarb was just soft to the touch. This was then chilled over ice. When I was ready to use it, I drained the juices from the poached rhubarb. The rhubarb was then used for the cheesecakes and the syrup was used in the bar for making cocktails – anything from non-alcoholic lemonades to rhubarb and rosé wine spritzers or rhubarb martinis. Our customers loved them and I really liked the fact that the by-product was used in delicious drinks recipes.

This recipe makes a rhubarb and rose syrup or pressé that can be used in two different drinks – a non-alcoholic lemonade and a sophisticated alcoholic tonic, both of which are perfect for serving as a refreshing drink on a warm summer’s evening. The tonic, in particular, makes a wonderful party drink, and will make you the envied host or hostess amongst your friends. The cooked rhubarb pulp makes a wonderful ‘jam’ or spread too (see Cook’s Note for some serving suggestions), so nothing goes to waste.

See also the accompanying video for how to make this delicious rhubarb and rose pressé.

Mother nature gives us many gifts of ‘free food’ every autumn, and a good example of this is when the wonderful elderflowers that bloom at the end of spring, turn into edible elderberries at this time of the year. They are a stunning colour and the tannin-rich taste of these special berries creates the most wonderful pressé. I mixed mine with apples as I have plenty of cooking apples to use up (just cut out any blemishes from the apples and use the good bits).

The main thing to remember with elderberries is that they can be toxic if eaten uncooked, hence boiling the syrup for 10 minutes is important (this also allows the taste to develop more). Once the pressé is made, it will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, or it can be frozen instead (which is what I tend to do).

As well as the main recipe, I also include some serving suggestions for this delicious pressé, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, so there is something for everyone and the choice is yours. Enjoy!

I have written two methods for cooking the rhubarb in this recipe, if you have the sous-vide tools, then give this recipe a go (see Chef’s Notes); it works for me every time, but if not, then the conventional method is just as good. The results are slightly different because with the conventional method the rhubarb may lose a bit of its shape if the heat is too fierce, but just use your commonsense with this one – I have given timings, but please keep a close eye on it. I am looking for a result of a cooked but almost candied rhubarb rather than a purée.

I have also used fresh sourdough breadcrumbs for these puddings. You could use normal wholewheat bread instead, but the sourdough gives these puddings their amazing light texture and wonderful nutty taste. Don’t be fooled by the title either, because these puddings are deliciously light and not heavy as one might expect.

Seeing the two together, I could not resist trying this classic combination for peaches and raspberries. It reminds me of the popular Peach Melba, where traditionally, poached peaches are served with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce. This popular dessert was created by Escoffier in 1892 for the opera singer Nellie Melba. What a combination and what a triumph that after all these years we still use the flavour profile and refer to it, so it’s never gone out of fashion!

I have used the flavour combination to create a cordial that will be used in various drinks here at the British Larder. We will offer two versions, the first is a non-alcoholic posh pop served in a wine glass with plenty of ice and topped up with soda water to make a divine Peach Melba Spritzer (I think Nellie Melba would definitely approve!), and the other is our seasonal twist on a classic Tom Collins, called the Peach Melba Collins.

As the season is producing an abundance of superb seasonal fresh fruits I tend to get a bit carried away, buying more than I can actually use, and for that reason I freeze the raspberries and peaches (stoned and sliced) to prevent them from turning mouldy before I get to use them.

For this recipe, frozen raspberries will work just as well as fresh ones. The secret to the success of this recipe is that you must ensure the fruits are very ripe for maximum flavour impact.

This recipe does make quite a bit, so my top tip is to freeze it in smaller quantities so you can enjoy this delicious cordial for even longer.

I have been out in force armed with bags and scissors when walking the dogs. I choose the flowers that are higher up in the trees and further into the woods away from any road pollution. It’s very important that you do wash the flowers well, and if you like, you can put a bit of salt and a few drops of Milton sterilising fluid in the cold water when washing them to remove any unwanted wildlife.

I make large quantities of this cordial, then freeze it in smaller quantities in freezer bags and defrost as needed. This way I extend the life and can enjoy this refreshing drink for most of the summer.
Enjoy!

Frankly any tired looking fruits would have done the job. However Mr.P detests bananas and he gets seriously upset when he buys a smoothie on the high street but they all contain bananas even though there is no clue in the name but is hidden in the smallest writing on the back. Hence the challenge is to use something other than bananas to give body to my smoothie.

The main ingredients, that make a delicious slow burning and filling smoothie, are the oats, natural yoghurt and fresh ginger. I added a bit of natural sweetener to make it appetising, a pinch of spice for flavour and juice to bring it all together.

Ginger is good for the digestion, oats is slow burning which provides energy for longer and along with the fibre it’s perhaps the most useful ingredient in this recipe. The honey or maple syrup are both natural sweeteners which provide instant energy and flavour. I have chosen to spice my smoothie up with a pinch of ground cinnamon, you can choose your own:- nutmeg, ground cloves or even ground ginger would be equally delicious.

I enjoy this smoothie in the morning for breakfast as it gives me a healthy slow burning kick start for a busy day ahead. It would also be perfect for a late afternoon snack just when your mind starts to wonder in the direction of the cookie jar and your energy levels are low.

The best part of making this smoothie is that I used ingredients that I had to hand, I did not have to purchase anything.

For this seriously grown up cocktail I heated apple juice,  infused with cloves, orange, cinnamon, star anise and added a good helping of Morgan’s Spiced Caribbean Rum. For the apple snow I made a foam (espuma) using a cream whipper. I mixed the ingredients together and once aerated the apple snow looks amazing floating on top of the warm apple rum.

This drink is not only full of festive cheer but also great fun and will be a great way to kick a bit of spirit into Christmas day.

I always wanted to try and recreate the flavour of good old Ribena and thought that this was my chance. After de-stalking, cleaning and boiling the fruit I nearly ended up with a jelly. Blackcurrants are packed with natural pectin and therefore set naturally and for that reason blackcurrants are a good choice of fruit for jam making. The colour of this home made cordial is magnificent, almost electric mauve but be careful as any splashes will stain.

I like my blackcurrant drink diluted with carbonated water, however if you prefer use ice cold tap water or lemonade if it’s not sweet enough for you.

With freshly picked gooseberries sitting in a basket on the kitchen table I was inspired to make gooseberry ginger beer. We found three recipes for ginger beer in my grandmother’s recipe book. One was unusable as it called for crystals – we are still wondering today exactly what kind of crystals she was referring to. We eventually settled for the third recipe, and after a bit of tweaking, the end result was this wonderful recipe for gooseberry ginger beer.

I will be making this recipe for many years to come, remembering that glorious Sunday afternoon in the kitchen with my mum, Ouma Leen’s recipe book and the gooseberries.

Towards the end of April (depending how warm Spring has been), as I drive to work and back, I am usually on the look out for sources of elderflowers, spotting bridle paths and footpaths that lead into fields with hedgerows containing elderberry shrubs/trees, but it all depends on how warm a spring we’ve had as to when the flowers will be ready for picking.

As well as finding a source of fresh elderflowers, you will need to buy the other ingredients required to make the cordial, citric acid being one of those and one that is not always easy to find. Citric acid used to be readily available from most high street chemists, but it is harder to find nowadays. Buying it online is the easiest solution, but make sure you buy it from reputable companies and only buy food-safe citric acid,

There are a few things you should know: you must make sure you identify the shrub as elderflower and do not pick something that is potentially poisonous, wash the flowers well, only pick elderflowers from shoulder height upwards (avoid dog’s height) and I always choose shrubs way from the road (avoid road pollution).