Lemon, lime and elderflower marmalade

I cannot bring myself to throw away the fruit and flowers left after making elderflower cordial, so I save them to make marmalade. This time I stored them in the freezer for a week or two, as it was super hot when I made the cordial and not good conditions for preserve making. I defrosted yesterday and made this marmalade. It is an adaptation of my usual marmalade recipe.

1 lb mixed elderflowers, sliced lemons and limes left from making cordial
900 ml water*
100 ml elderflower cordial* 
2 lb sugar

Cut around the edges of the lemon and lime slices to remove the peel and turn it into strips. Put the peel pieces in a pan and put the rest of the fruit and flowers in a muslin bag before adding to the pan as well. Add the water and bring to the boil. Simmer for ~2 hours, until the peel is soft (add the cordial about halfway through if using). Then remove the bag and squeeze it into the pan. Add the sugar and bring to a rollicking boil until setting point is reached. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10-20 min before putting in sterilised jars and sealing.

*I had some cordial in the fridge that needed using up, so I used it. If you don't have cordial that needs using up, just use 1 litre of water instead of 900ml water and 100ml cordial.


Perfectly good marmalade. Mostly tastes like lemon. There's subtle floweriness if you search for it, but subtle is the word.