This week I got my snips out, went out to the garden and snipped some flower heads off my Sambucus nigra to make elderflower cordial. It’s the perfect refreshing accompaniment to a hot summers day and very easy to make. All you need are elderflower blossoms, lemon, water, sugar and sterilised bottles. Adding the cordial to sparkling water creates a delightful drink to cool yourself down in the heat.

Boil the lemons, water and elderflowers together and leave to cool/infuse for a few hours. Strain the solution then add the sugar and boil until the sugar is dissolved. Add the solution to sterilised bottles and hey presto, job done!

Another refreshing activity I tried this week was swimming in the river. At this time of year there are quite a lot of stinging jellyfish lurking in the sea so it was a nice change to swim in the river Dee. I think the sea will always be my favourite however – nothing is more invigorating than the cool salt water and waves!