Rose and Elderflower Jelly

One of the classic puddings served in the Artists' Tent at the annual Stour Music Festival is a delicate and beautiful Rose and Elderflower Jelly.  The previous Queen of Puddings guarded her recipe with her life (and rightly so!).  Since taking over as Queen of Puddings, I have continued Jo's tradition, using my own recipe, which, as I have my own home made pink elderflower cordial, is a pretty pink colour.  This year, over the 2 weekends of Stour, I made 4 of these jellies!  Happy to report that not a scrap remained... Apart from using gelatine (and the vegetarian variety doesn't work as well), it is a useful recipe as it contains neither dairy, eggs nor gluten, so is perfect for restricted diets.

The recipe below uses leaf gelatine, as it gives a clearer result than the powder.  The quantity given is a suggestion, do check your own packet for the strength, as rubbery jelly is horrible and an unset one is a waste of effort!

Rose and Elderflower Jelly 

Elderflower and Rose Jelly

6 gelatine leaves (enough to lightly set 1.5 pints liquid)

3.5floz/100 ml hot water

8floz/225ml undiluted elderflower cordial

½ tsp good quality rose extract (if that – be sparing!)

1 pint/450 ml cold water

Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water until they are flexible (about 5 minutes), then squeeze off the water before dropping the soggy leaves into the hot water and stirring to dissolve the leaves entirely.   

Mix the elderflower cordial, rosewater and water in a separate jug.  Pour into the gelatine and stir well to combine it all – you don’t want a layered effect with a thicker jelly at the bottom.   Pour the jelly into a pretty bowl and leave it to set in the fridge for at least four hours.  Decorate just before serving with a fresh rose or elderflowers. 

Did you know that, if a jelly melts because it gets too hot, you can re-set it?