Name: Strawberry & Thyme Cordial
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 24 h 40 min
Cuisine: Festive
Ingredients: 500 g strawberries (hulled and roughly sliced); 600 g sugar; 400 ml water; 1 sprig thyme (fresh); juice of half a lemon

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This homemade Strawberry cordial recipe just screams the start of the warmer months here in Australia. Summer berries infused in sugar syrup. Does it get any better? Markets are stocked full of berries and this easy Strawberry & Thyme cordial makes the most of the season.

Champagne being poured into a coupe glass with a little strawberry & Thyme Cordial

Yes, I could add this to sparkling or soda water (which btw tastes amazing) but who am I kidding?

In the lead-up to the festive season, I always make a few batches of this strawberry cordial recipe to make strawberry fizz over the holidays. We normally have a bit of a glut of homegrown strawberries and It’s perfect for those long summer afternoons with friends around. Just add 30ml of cordial to a glass, top with champagne, and garnish with a fresh strawberry!

What you need to get started

Ripe, in-season, fresh strawberries (hulled and roughly sliced)
white sugar – you could also use castor sugar
water
fresh thyme
lemon juice– it really makes it sing!

Here’s how to make this strawberry cordial recipe

Combine hulled and sliced strawberries in a bowl with the sugar. Cover bowl and leave to marinate overnight.
The next day, combine the strawberries with the remaining ingredients in a large pot. On medium heat, bring to simmer point and cook for 20 minutes so all the sugar dissolves. Should any scum come to the top of the cordial, remove it with a clean spoon.
Remove from heat and strain the strawberry juice through muslin to get a clear cordial (we don’t want any strawberry bits!) Bottle into a sterilized jar/bottle.
Refrigerate until ready to use. It will last in the fridge for about a month. To store for a longer period, you can add a little citric acid to help preserve it for a couple of months.

Essential equipment

Aside from some kitchen essentials like a large pan (I use my 24cm Le Creuset French oven), bowl, and knife, the only other essential is a piece of muslin to strain the cordial into a clear syrup and a fine mesh sieve. If you don’t have any muslin, I have an old linen tea towel for straining preserves which works just as well. It can also be reused over and over again, unlike muslin. Good for me and good for the environment! A jelly bag is another option.

You’ll also need sterilized preserving bottles or jars to store your homemade cordial.

Cook’s Notes

Instead of discarding the strawberry pulp after straining, use it by adding it to a vanilla ice cream recipe or incorporate it into whipped cream and serve with pavlova or Eton mess.

This strawberry and thyme cordial will keep in the fridge for up to 8 weeks.

Looking for some more preserving recipes…

Cheers!