Vegan elderflower crème brûlée. Serves 6.

Warning: Elderflowers must be cooked before consumption. All parts of the plant are poisonous except the flowers and ripe berries when cooked.

Equipment:

Pan

Whisk

Teaspoon

Tablespoon

Ramekins

Blowtorch or grill

Process:

1. Forage three flower heads from elder.

2. Pour the cream into a pan and add the elderflowers, bring to a light simmer then remove from the heat and let the elderflowers marinade for 15 minutes.

3. Strain out the elderflowers and return the cream to the pan. Add the syrup (maple) or Henry to taste, elderflower brings out the sweetness so you won’t need much, 3 teaspoons should be enough.

4. Add 3-4 tablespoons of arrowroot or cornflower to the cream and mix well with a whisk, heat until the cream has a thick constituency you’ll probably need to bring it to the boil.

5. Once thickened remove the cream from the heat and pour it into ramekins and place them in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.

6. Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the set cream and caramelise using a blowtorch or if you don’t have one under the grill and leave to cool in the fridge for 30mins.

7. Your elderflower crème brûlée is now ready to enjoy. You can add some elderflowers to the top of the crème brûlée as a decorative but the must not be eaten raw.