Plum Cordial with Hyssop

This recipe came about after I stumbled across a large crate of ripe plums at a price that was simply too good to ignore. Looking back, I really only regret one thing – not buying two crates instead.

Since I’d already made a batch of mirabelle plum jam from the fruit in the garden, I wasn’t exactly in need of more jars of plum jam. So this crate was destined to become plum cordial instead.

Then came the difficult part.

I spent quite a while debating how to make it a little more interesting. Vanilla? Lemon? Cardamom – which I still think would have worked really well. Different varieties of mint. There were plenty of ideas.

Eventually I wandered out into the garden.

That’s when I spotted the hyssop.

I could almost taste the combination in my head. Sweet plums and that gentle hint of liquorice from the hyssop. It just seemed like it should work.

It did.

Hyssop is often grown for its flowers, and it’s easy to see why. Bees, bumblebees and butterflies absolutely love it. But the leaves deserve just as much attention. They have a fresh herbal flavour with gentle notes of anise and liquorice that pair surprisingly well with plums.