Recipe: Elderflower Shortbread

You've been out foraging, gathered loads of frothy white elderflower and already made cordial but got some flower heads left over? asks David Hamilton

Try this tasty hedgerow shortbread recipe - a super tasty weekend treat!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons fresh elderflowers 
• 100 g butter or vegan margarine 
• 50 g granulated sugar 
• 150 g plain/all-purpose flour 

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF/ Gas Mark 4. 
   
2. Using your fingers, remove the elderflowers from their stems, place them in a large bowl and set aside. It is important to remove as much of the stalk as possible. However, there is no need to worry if tiny pieces of stalk end up in the bowl as it is impossible to remove it all. 
   
3. Cut the butter into cubes and place this in a separate bowl along with the remaining ingredients. 
   
4. Using your fingers again, rub the ingredients together so they start to look like breadcrumbs or an apple crumble topping. 
   
5. Add the elderflowers and roughly mix everything together. 
   
6. Push the crumb mix together with your hands so it forms a dough, then push this down into a greased baking tin. 
   
7. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden.
   

MORE INSPIRATION

READ Family Foraging by David Hamilton, photography by Jason Ingram (White Lion Publishing)