Darina Allen: It's time to give gooseberries and elderflowers their kitchen spotlight

Irish Examiner

21-06-2025

Quick, the 'catch it if you can' gooseberry and elderflower season is here, but it'll be gone in a flash.
I'm sure you've noticed the fluffy white blossoms on the elder trees, not just in the hedgerows around the countryside, but there are plenty in the cities too.
Elder is one of our native Irish trees. The flowers have a musky smell which isn't exactly enticing, so some think it's reminiscent of cat urine.
But don't let that put you off, both the flavour and aroma are transformed to a wonderfully muscat richness during cooking.
Furthermore, the combination of green gooseberry and elderflowers is a marriage made in heaven.
Nature has cleverly arranged for the gooseberry and elderflower to be in season at the same time.
Wonder who first discovered the combination?
I first read about this magical combo of flavours in the late Jane Grigson's Good Things, one of my most treasured cookbooks, the fourth edition has just been republished by Grub Street, bang on time for the gooseberry season. Jane devoted a whole chapter in Good Things to gooseberries.
I was thrilled when it landed on my desk a few weeks ago, it brought childhood memories flooding back of picking the green gooseberries off the prickly branches with the promise of gooseberry pie for supper.
Something I am perfectly happy to do because the reward is so delicious.
However, a few years ago, one of the gardeners showed me how to strip the berries from the bush without getting scratched, so here's the tip: cup your hand over the leaves on the branch close to the main stem, then pull your hand firmly towards you. The leaves cover the thorns, protecting your hands. Otherwise, you'll need to wear a leather glove to protect your hand from the spikes, a much slower method.
You'll need to top and tail each gooseberry before cooking. A zen activity provided you're not in a hurry – lean into it and enjoy.
At present, gooseberries are hard and green, the recent rain helped them to swell on the bushes, but they are still super tart.
They will soften and ripen to a rich red colour later in the summer.
Certainly not for nibbling raw but perfect for tarts, compotes, crumbles, jellies, fools and fritters.
By the way, gooseberries freeze brilliantly. Just fill them into strong Ziploc plastic bags, they won't adhere to each other and are easy to top and tail while frozen.
For best results, use within 6 months. Gooseberries are also super nutritious
Elderflowers too, are not just a pretty flower, they have many essential vitamins, including vitamins E, B1, B2, and B3 complex and a little vitamin C.
They're known for their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant properties. All very important.
Later in the year, elderberries have a whole other set of nutrients and a much higher vitamin C content to help protect against winter colds and flu.
The substantial amount of fibre helps to prevent constipation but they're not around until autumn so let's enjoy the elderflowers and gooseberries while they last.
Roast Pork with Crackling and Green Gooseberry Sauce
recipe by:Darina Allen
You will need to order the joint ahead to ensure that the rind is still on – no rind means no crackling!
Servings
8
Course 
Main
Ingredients For the pork:
2.25kg loin of organic free-range pork with the skin rind intact
coarse salt or Maldon sea salt
2 tbsp chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, chives, marjoram, savoury, perhaps very little sage or rosemary)
salt and freshly ground pepper
For the sauce:
275g fresh green gooseberries
stock syrup to cover - 110ml water, 75g sugar – 175ml approximately
a knob of butter (optional)
Method
For the pork:
Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5.
Score the skin at 5mm intervals running with the grain – let your butcher do this if possible because the skin, particularly of free-range pork, can be quite tough. This is to give you really good crackling and make it easier to carve later.
Dry brine the pork.
Put the pork skin-side down on a chopping board, season well with crunchy sea salt and black pepper and sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs. Allow to dry brine for several hours or overnight.
Dab off with kitchen paper.
Roll the joint tightly and secure with a slipknot, then repeat at the other end of the loin.
Work your way towards the centre, tying the joint at about 4cm intervals.
Sprinkle some salt over the rind and roast the joint on a wire rack in a roasting tin. Allow 25-28 minutes per 450g. Baste here and there with the rendered pork fat.
While the meat is in the oven, follow the recipe to make the gooseberry sauce.
Just before the end of the cooking time, remove the pork to another roasting tin. Increase the oven temperature to 230°C/Gas Mark 8 and return the joint to the oven to further crisp the crackling. When the joint is cooked the juices should run clear.
Put the pork onto a hot carving dish and leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes in a low oven before carving. Serve two slices of pork per person with some gooseberry sauce and garnish with rocket. Rustic roast potatoes and a seasonal green salad would also be great.
For the sauce:
Dissolve the sugar in the water and boil together for 2 minutes. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator until needed.
Top and tail the gooseberries, put into a stainless steel saucepan, barely cover with stock syrup, bring to the boil and simmer until the fruit bursts. Taste. Stir in a small knob of butter if you like but it is very good without it.
JR Ryall's Green Gooseberry Tartlets
recipe by:Darina Allen
This is a terrific recipe to have up your sleeve. These tartlets are ideal to serve after a simple lunch or even a formal dinner.
Servings
30
Course 
Dessert
Ingredients 1 quantity Cream Pastry (see below), chilled
flour, for dusting
700g green gooseberries, topped and tailed
220-290g caster sugar
softly whipped cream, to serve
For the pastry:
110g plain flour
110g cold salted butter, cut into 5mm cubes
150ml cold fresh cream
Method
For the pastry:
Place the flour into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and then add the butter. With the mixer on low speed, rub the butter into the flour. Keep an eye on the mixture as it is being worked by the paddle. If overworked, the mixture will form a shortbread-like ball!
Before this happens, when the butter and flour are on the cusp of coming together, pour in all of the cold cream and continue to mix on a low speed until a smooth pastry forms, about 1 minute.
Wrap the pastry with baking paper and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
Always roll cream pastry straight from the fridge. If the pastry comes to room temperature it will be too soft to handle!
For tartlets:
Place the cold pastry on a generously floured work surface. Sprinkle flour over the top and roll to a thickness of 3mm, using a rolling pin.
Cut the pastry into disks using a 7.5cm round cutter. Transfer the disks of pastry to a shallow, flat-bottom bun (muffin) pan, lining each well with a circle. Place the lined pan in the refrigerator to rest for 15 minutes.
Shake excess flour from the pastry scraps, gather them together, wrap in baking paper and place in the refrigerator. The scraps can be re-rolled again when they are properly chilled and used to make another batch of tartlets.
Cut the gooseberries in half and arrange them cut side up on top of the pastry. It takes 7-8 halves to fill each tartlet depending on the size of the berries.
Sprinkle a scant teaspoon of the sugar over the berries in each tartlet and bake straight away for about 20 minutes, until the sugar begins to caramelise and the pastry is a deep golden colour.
While the tartlets are baking, line a heatproof tray with parchment paper and sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the paper. Remove the tartlets from the oven and transfer them from the bun pan to the sugared baking paper while still hot. Arrange on a pretty plate and serve warm with softly whipped cream.
From Ballymaloe Desserts by JR Ryall published by Phaidon
Elderflower Fritters
recipe by:Darina Allen
These are super easy to make, very crispy and once you've tasted one, you won't be able to stop! Serve these straight away with delicious elderflower cream.
Servings
4
Preparation Time 
10 mins
Cooking Time 
10 mins
Total Time 
20 mins
Course 
Dessert
Ingredients For the fritters:
110g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 organic egg
150ml lukewarm water
8-12 elderflower heads
caster sugar
sunflower oil for frying
For the cream:
300ml cream
1-2 tablespoons elderflower cordial
Method
Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and drop in the egg. Using a whisk, bring in the flour gradually from the edges, slowly adding in the water at the same time.
Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180°C.
Hold the flowers by the stalks and dip into the batter (add a little more water or milk if the batter is too thick). Fry until golden brown in the hot oil.
Drain on kitchen paper, toss in caster sugar and serve immediately with elderflower cream.
For the cream:
To make simply add the elderflower cordial to the cream and whisk lightly. This should be very softly whipped.
Seasonal Journal
Common Knowledge – Introductory to Fermentation on June 28
This one-day course takes place at the Common Knowledge Centre in Kilfenora, Co. Clare.
Enter the realm of plant and fungi-based knowledge to explore the ecology of microbes, engage in discussions on how to reduce food waste, incorporate food medicine, decolonise our food-ways, as well as take home new skills and ferments to steward and share.
How to preserve and transform fresh vegetables
How ferments play a role in a healthy gut biome and nutrition
The science behind fermentation
The diverse cultural practices and lifeways that inform contemporary fermentation — to give you a foundation rooted in historical, cultural, and practical methods.