My daily dog walk is the perfect opportunity for me to check the hedgerows to see if the Elderflowers are ready for picking to make cordial, which they are now.

The heavy perfume of the Elderflower (Sambucus nigra) is a bit of a crowd splitter to some this is a peculiarly evocative scent of spring-into-summer to others it has an aroma of cat’s pee! However, the flavour that the flowers impart is universally loved.

The flowers are at their best on a sunny day, when their aroma is at its headiest. Pinch or snip the heads from the bush at the first joint. Use them immediately for the fullest flavour. Try this easy to make recipe by Sarah Raven for a not too sweet version of the classic cordial that will keep for a long time to drink diluted by fizzy or still water…or my favourite prosecco!

For 2 x 750ml bottles

1.35kg granulated sugar

Flowers from 15-20 elderflower heads

2 oranges, thinly sliced

2 lemons, thinly sliced

2 limes, thinly sliced

30g tartaric (or citric) acid

Put 1.15 litres of water and the sugar into a saucepan, dissolve the sugar completely before bringing to the boil.

Add the flowers and return the water to the boil. Remove from the heat immediately. Put the thinly sliced fruit into a large bowl or jug. Add the citric acid and pour over the hot syrup and flowers.

Stir well and cover loosely for 24 hours. Strain through muslin-lined sieve into warm sterilised bottles and seal.

Will keep for a couple of months in the fridge or if you have plenty to spare it will last for ages if you pour into plastic bottles and freeze.

Fruit Protection

If your strawberries need a little help ripening, bring them into the warmth of the greenhouse; this will also protect them against birds. Of course, the ideal solution in the ongoing fight against fruit-loving creatures would be to have a walk-in fruit cage, but this has have been on my wish list for a good few years and unfortunately has yet to materialise!

There are other ways to protect your precious crops as they begin to colour, cloches and nets are equally as good also fleeces, net tunnels and a bird scarers.

Also you can wrap fruit bushes in Micromesh, which still allows the fruit to ripen. You could always try growing yellow cherries; the blackbirds wait for them to turn red – too late, you have already picked and eaten them!