Flavoured syrups are one of the most useful standbys in your kitchen or restaurant. They’re great for adding to sauces, making into milk shakes or flavoured sodas, drizzling over ice cream or pancakes or, of course, adding to hot chocolate or coffee. Here’s our recipe for a simple strawberry syrup – you can replace the strawberries with other fresh berries in season, such as raspberries or blueberries, as well as ripe stone fruit like peaches.
You’ll need:
- 500g of fresh strawberries or other berries, washed, hulled and chopped
- 150g caster sugar, plus a little extra
- 2 tablespoons liquid glucose (available from larger supermarkets)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Put the berries in a food processor, and pulse in short bursts until pureed. If they stick a little, add a drop of hot water. Next, scrape the puree into a pan and add the sugar, glucose syrup and lemon juice. Stir everything round, and taste it, adding a little more sugar if necessary, as a lot depends on the ripeness of the strawberries. Once you’ve happy, bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it cook for a about a minute until it thickens. Skim off any foam that’s come to the surface, then strain it through a sieve to remove the strawberry seeds. The syrup should keep in the refrigerator for at least three days, as the lemon juice acts as a preservative.
This fresh syrup is delicious, but it’s expensive to make when strawberries aren’t in season, and it has a relatively short shelf life so can’t be made in large quantities. For an easier option, we stock a litre bottle of strawberry-flavoured syrup for only £7.29 which will be a fantastic addition to your kitchen store cupboard. For more details, and to browse the other syrups in our range, please visit our coffee ingredients page.
