Fruit Cordial/Syrup
Home-made fruity yummy cordial – tastes as good as the fruit you have made it out of and will keep happily in your fridge for up to 3 months. I often use up to 4lb of fruit at a time in the recipe and alter the rest of the ingredients accordingly.
What you need
- 1lb ripe blackberries or other soft fruit
- Approx. 12 oz granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon citric acid (optional)
Note
In order to get as much of the fruit’s natural flavour, always use a very slow gentle heat to get the juices. The amount of water needed to do this depends entirely on the juiciness of the fruit you are using but for soft fruits use a thin film of water to cover the bottom of the pan as you heat. For thicker skinned fruits such as blackcurrants use 5fl oz per 1lb of fruit
What to do
- Put the fruit in a large pan with thin film of water on the bottom of the pan. Slowly heat the fruits to extract as much of the juices as possible in the shortest possible time. This can be enhanced by squashing the fruits as they heart with a potato masher of the back of the spoon. (Should take 10 minutes).
- Strain the puree mix through a sieve into a clean bowl and push through to get the juices.
- Measure the juice obtained in a jug. Per 1 pint of juice you have now got, add 12 oz of granulated sugar.
- Mix the sugar and juice together until the sugar has dissolved and add citric acid if using.
- Pour the syrup into warm sterilized bottles and seal and store in the fridge until required.
I also use this syrup over ice-cream, in trifles to soak the sponges and as a drink topped up with fold water or fizzy water with ice-cubes! Enjoy!
