A brilliant way to get more out of lemons you’ve used for another recipe, is simply chopping the squeezed and zested pieces that you’d normally throw away and combining them with sugar in a bowl magically produces a simple lemon syrup that can be used on its own – to turn a plain sponge into a lemon drizzle cake, for example – or used to make this easy G&T drizzle for fresh strawberries. This dish perfectly captures the flavours of a British summertime.
DETAILS
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large lemons (around 150g), squeezed and zested, cut into chunks
- 70g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp good quality gin (I used Sipsmith Strawberry Smash)
- 2 tbsp tonic water (I like Fever Tree elderflower tonic)
- Strawberries, around 6-8 per person, hulled and halved
- Clotted cream or thick plant-based cream
METHOD
- Place the lemon chunks into a bowl with the sugar. Cover tightly and leave for several hours at room temperature, ideally overnight.
- Pour the lemon and sugar mixture through a fine sieve into another bowl to capture all the syrup – and give it a good squeeze or press with a potato masher to get every last drop. Discard the lemon pieces.
- Add 2 tablespoons of gin and 2 tablespoons of tonic and mix. Taste – you may wish to add more tonic, just adjust as you wish.
- Place your strawberries into serving dishes and drizzle over the syrup. Leave to macerate in the fridge for a couple of hours, which allows the strawberries to soak up the flavours.
- Serve topped with your chosen cream, a scattering of mint leaves and a G&T on the side.
Tips
To make this syrup family-friendly, replace the gin and tonic with sparkling elderflower or lemonade and serve with cream or ice cream.
For a healthier twist, top with a thick dairy or plant yoghurt instead of cream.