Secret Recipes

I bumped into my next door neighbour a couple of days ago, who was walking up the road carrying a large plastic bag, looking very pleased with himself! We got chatting, and as I am an inquisitive sort, I boldly asked him what was in the bag. He showed me the contents, several large heads of freshly picked elderflower, and then shared with me a closely guarded secret, that he had access to the sacred tome, Home Made Wines, Syrups and Cordials, from none other than The National Federation of  Women's Institutes. In exchange for a few eggs, John did later provide me with a quick look at said publication, and gave  me a hastily copied recipe for the Elderflower Champagne, which I had to commit quickly to memory as it was written in disappearing ink, and would self destruct in a matter of moments. So there we have it, the previously undiscovered truth that up and down the country, there is an underground movement where normally law abiding folk will stop at nothing to procure the culinary secrets of the WI.  Now John, about that jam.....











PS if you don't live near a hedge, Abel and Cole were supplying Elderflower in their veg boxes on a first come first served basis. Read their blog here.