When Honeysuckles are in flower, hedges and walls take on a smell only rivalled in the perfume isle of a department store. Friends of mine used to suck on the flowers to ‘drink’ the liquid inside - suckling on the honey. I can see why they got their childhood kicks from this. Honeysuckle is delicious; its strong perfume is the perfect partner to fruits such as damsons, apricots and sharp tiny crab apples. But in early summer when thirst quenching, refreshing sorbets are in order, Honeysuckle comes into its own.
Honeysuckle and Tarragon Sorbet
Gather a cupful of unsprayed honeysuckle flowers. (avoid any green stems or leaves)
Pour over 300ml of boiling water, cover and leave to infuse for at least 12 hours.
Strain the honeysuckle infused water; pour into a pan; add 115g sugar
place the pan over a low heat, bring to a simmer and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the syrupy liquid from the heat, leave to cool.
Add the juice of ½ lemon and 3 finely chopped tarragon leaves to the cooled liquid ,
place the liquid into an ice cream maker & churn until the mixture is very opaque and firm.
(Store Honeysuckle for use later in the year, by packing flowers into bags & keeping in the freezer.)