I was sitting by the window at Cranks Kitchen in Dartington with Tin and Thyme on Friday, celebrating National Vegetarian Week with a slice of Homity Pie, when I spied that most exciting of late Spring things – the first elderflower! Of course, once you’ve seen one you notice them everywhere and, as I meandered back from Birmingham on Saturday (such a flibbertigibbet) I saw them in the hedgerows of Somerset too – hoorah, it’s foraging time!
I get ridiculously excited by foraging – moving in Spring from wild garlic and nettles to dandelions and elderflowers then on to the flowers of Summer and nuts, berries and fungi of Autumn – there is nothing better than bringing home food I have found and cooking with it!
Every year in Spring we set off with our bags and our boots and clamber into hedgerows to pick these beauties. I took this photo three years ago and I can’t believe how much she has grown up. She is sitting her GCSEs for the next few weeks but we have plans for when they are finally over and we are freeee – foraging for these blowsy beauties is high on the list!
May turns to June and the first of the gooseberries appear in our country market just as elderflower season gets into full swing.
As bottles of our homemade sweet elderflower cordial start filling up the fridge it’s time to make some ice cream!
Elderflower and Gooseberry Ice-Cream
Ingredients
- 500 g gooseberries
- 75 ml elderflower cordial
- 300 ml double cream
- 125 g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Wash, top and tail the gooseberries and put them in a pan with the sugar and water. Cover and bring to the boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
- Leave the pulp to cool completely and then whizz in a blender until smooth.
- Push the pulp through a sieve into a large bowl.
- Add the cream and the elderflower cordial to the gooseberry purée and stir well. Check the flavour and add more sugar to taste.
- Pour into a plastic container and pop it into the freezer
- When the ice cream is nearly frozen put it back into the blender and whizz again until smooth, pour it back into its container and freeze again. Repeat this process once more.
- Bring the ice cream out of the freezer to soften for 10 -15 minutes before serving.
If You Like This Post Why Not Pin It For Later?!
This sounds SO delicious! I love gooseberries, and can hardly wait for them to appear. When they do, this ice-cream will be high on the list of what to do with them. I might go completely overboard and serve it with a dollop of gooseberry compote though 🙂
Oh I think you should *nods vigorously*, they have such a short season we need to make the most of them!
Ooh elderflowers – that sings June and summer to me. Love gooseberries, but sadly the birds ate all of ours last year and suspect they made do so again this year! Your ice cream sounds superb.
My gooseberry bushes were nibbled to death by saw fly before they even got going – I can always rely on the ladies at the country market though thank goodness!
We’ve had our eye on the elderflowers that have only JUST started to appear. Not enough yet to make cordial but soon. We’ve been thinking about doing an elderflower frozen yoghurt… the addition of gooseberries would really sweeten the deal. Thanks for the inspiration!
A frozen yoghurt would be fab and I think gooseberry yoghurt is my favourite! I’m so excited that the elderflowers have begun, can’t wait to get out there!
This sounds amazing! I love that it looks smooth and white like normal ice cream – I bet the flavour is a lovely surprise 🙂
It is, I love it and so do the kids which is both a bonus and a bind – it doesn’t last long before it’s all gone!
I’ve never cooked with elderflower but I LOVE the taste of it but I haven’t eaten gooseberries in years. I never used to like them but I think this year I must try some again, they’re so good for you. Your ice cream looks so creamy and delicious.
Thank you! Elderflower is very versatile, I’m keen to make some fritters with the biggest of the blooms, they taste amazing!
What a totally glorious flavour for an ice cream and perfect for summer:-) I have never seen any elder flowers or wild garlic but live in hope!
I think we need to take you on a foraging walk – elderflowers can be seen in nearly every hedgerow in June!
I too am a keen forager Chris, and lucky, so lucky, to live right behind some very giving woodland. I’ve been in there already for the nettles and wild garlic (twice weekly), and just waiting on the elderflowers to fully blossom. Gooseberries are in the freezer from last year. Sooo, this is a round about way of saying that I am pinning this to make. Really lovely. And so simple too. 🙂
Yay! I hope you like it as much as we do! I have gooseberries in the freezer too so I’m watching those elders like a hawk, ready to pounce!
We have an elderflower right outside our front door and I always get a buzz seeing that first bloom of the year 🙂
Janie x
We have an elderflower right outside our front door and I always get a buzz seeing that first bloom of the year 🙂
Janie x
Oh you lucky thing! I don’t have to walk far to find them but I’d love one outside the door all ready for picking!
I love the idea of foraging! You’ve got me wanting to seek out elderflower and gooseberry here in the states- never tried them but they look amazing.
It’s such a satisfying thing to do when you know what you are looking for Kari – I think my favourite is elderflower followed by blackberries in the autumn!
Looks DELISH!
🙂
I want to go foraging now !! How glorious is this
Nothing better than a bit of foraging for free food!
We love this ice cream and make it every year when our gooseberries crop.
That’s so lovely to hear, thank you!