Small bite There is a short window of opportunity when a delicious combination of flavours is available from the natural world.
At present elderflower blossoms are peaking in hedgerows and the first of the Irish gooseberries are ripening into tart but exceptionally tasty perfection.
The fragrant, almost pungent spiciness of elderflowers elevates the humble goosegog into something sublime. The trick is to simmer the fruit, with as much sugar or honey as you like, with a few umbels of the blossoms. Then you puree the resulting mush, pass it through a sieve and fold it into whipped cream.
You can do lots of things with elderflowers, from dipping the heads in tempura batter, then frying them until they are crisp, to making cordial.
One of the simplest ways of preserving the elusive scent of these creamy flowers is to dunk several handfuls in a bottle of white-wine vinegar for a month or so. Used in a salad dressing it will deliver the scent of early summer right through the year. TD