Gooseberry cordial

 

I like my drink so decided to use some of my harvested gooseberries as a cordial. A quick google led me to a recipe on the Islington Tribune site. I don't have lemon verbena but plenty of not so fresh lemons needing to be used up. I adapted the recipe to this:

Gooseberry and lemon cordial
Makes about one litre.
Ingredients
500g gooseberries, washed
200g caster sugar
1 litre water
1 lemon, halved and squeezed

Method
Bring to the boil the gooseberries, sugar, water, lemon juice and lemon halves in a large saucepan. Simmer until gooseberries are soft, about 10 minutes. I then left it to cool overnight. I strained the mix through a cheap jelly bag into a bottle. Shake the bottle before use. 

I actually used the juice of two lemons but one is more than enough. The cordial, when diluted, is a very refreshing slightly tart drink. My boys are not keen on it which is a bonus for me! When making cordial I usually freeze half and keep half in the fridge.

 

What a lot of gooseberries!

The morning's harvest

What am I to do with half a basket of gooseberries? As a child I would make gooseberry fool but I suspect that my boys won't touch it. Gooseberry jam? Definitely an option but probably for the adults and we don't tend to eat much jam. Chutney is another option but we have so many that we don't need yet another. A quick google seems to show that bbc good food have two ideas I fancy trying, cordial and sorbet.

I'll let you know if they are a success!