Step 1: Put the sugar and 1.5 litres of water into a saucepan. Gently heat, without boiling, until all the sugar has dissolved. Giving it a stir every now and then so the sugar doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Peel the zest from the lemons with a potato peeler, then cut the lemons into rounds.

Just to note, we didn't use only white sugar, we did a mix of white and unrefined golden caster sugar. This meant that the final cordial is slightly darker in colour than if we had only used white. We personally love the extra flavour that the golden caster sugar gives.

Step 2: Once the sugar has dissolved bring the pan to the boil, then turn off the heat and let it sit. Give your elderflowers a light rinse with water, drain and trim off the bulk of the stalks. Then place the flower heads into your sugar syrup, with the lemons, zest, and citric acid, then stir well. Cover the pan and allow to infuse for 24 hours.

Step 3: Line a colander with a clean tea towel, then sit it over a large pan or bowl. ladle in the syrup and let it drip through slowly. Discard (compost) the remaining flowers left in the tea towel. Using a funnel, pour the syrup into sterilised bottles/jars. The cordial is ready to drink straighaway and will last in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. It is also possible to freeze your cordial, it will last indefinately in the freezer. Just remember to empty some of the cordial out of the bottle (leaving 4cm of space), allowing for the liquid to expand when frozen.