Gorse Foraging Recipes

With gorse in abundance at the moment now is a great time for some gorse flower foraging. The flowers can be eaten raw added into salads or with fruit, but can also be cooked into plenty of sweet recipes too – recipes that are great for making now and storing for later in the year, or enjoying right now!

Forage the flowers and remove any stems and bugs before getting stuck into these delicious recipes. Foraging the flowers earlier in the day before they get hot in the sun can help the flavour and make them better to work with.

Gorse ‘Honey”

• 200g gorse flowers 
• 1kg caster sugar
• 1 litre of water 
• 1 lemon (juice and zest)

1. Remove the petals and put in a large pan with the water and juice of the lemon 
2. Bring to a simmer, and then remove from the heat
3. Leave the mixture to steep overnight (cover the pan)
4. Drain the liquid through a sieve and muslin cloth if you have one
5. Add the sugar and zest to the liquid
6. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally 
7. Keep on a rolling boil under quantity has reduced by about a third in volume
8. Pour into sterile glass jars, seal and keep in the fridge
9. Enjoy!

Gorse Ice cream

• 150mls full fat milk
• 2 medium egg yolks
• 150g caster sugar
• 200ml double cream
• 4 large handfuls of gorse 
• A pinch of sea salt 
• Zest of 1 lemon

1. Soak the gorse flowers in the  milk overnight.
2. The next day, in a separate bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together,
3. Pour the milk & flowers in to a pan and slowly bring to a simmer,
4. Now pour the hot milk into the beaten eggs and sugar, beat together quickly to prevent scrambled eggs!
5. Keep beating together until the sugar has fully dissolved.
6. Pour through a sieve to remove the flowers from this creamy mixture,
7. Add the zest and the salt and stir well,
8. If you have an ice cream maker you can use this and let the machine do the rest for you. 
9. If not, pour into a large tub, add the lid and freeze for about 1 hour. 
10. After an hour remove from the freezer and give it a good beat until creamy, return to the freezer for another hour. 
11. Repeat the freezer/stir process another 2-3 times.
12. You can now either leave it in the freezer or serve and enjoy straight away. Enjoy!

Gorse Flower Jelly

• 4 Large handfuls of gorse flowers
• 4 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 litre cold water
• Juice of 1 lime
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 sachets gelatine

1. Add the flowers, fruit juice, sugar and water to a pan and bring to boil stirring constantly,
2. Reduce to a simmer and simmer until the sugar has dissolved,
3. Remove from heat and leave to cool,
4. Pour through a sieve
5. Return the liquid to the heat and once hot add the gelatine,
6. Bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes,
7. Remove from the heat and pour into a jelly mould or dish
8. Leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours, the serve and enjoy!

Gorse Tea

• 1 large handful of flowers is enough for one person.
• Remove bugs and stems then add to a mug or teapot.
• Pour over freshly (but not boiling) water and leave to steep for approximately 10 minutes
• Strain out the flowers and flavour with gorse honey to taste.
• Enjoy!

Gorse Flower Syrup

• 500g gorse flowers
• 500g caster sugar
• 1 litre water
• 2 limes
• 2 lemons

1. Boil the sugar and water together until the sugar has dissolved,
2. Add the zest of the lemons and limes,
3. Remove from the heat and add the juice of the fruit, stir well,
4. Now add in the gorse flowers and stir gently
5. Cover and leave for at least 6 hours, or overnight, but no longer than 12 hours. 
6. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer,
7. Carefully strain through a sieve – it will be hot so be careful,
8. Return to the heat and boil for a further 3 minutes (this reduces the chance of bacteria being present that may cause it to spoil in storage)
9. Pour into sterile glass bottles, cap and store or enjoy straight away.

This recipe works well poured over pancakes, puddings, stirred into hot drinks or as part of a cocktail!

As with all foraging make sure you are 100% sure of your plant ID, be sure to forage responsibly and sustainably. Gorse provides valuable habitat so be careful not to damage the plant in any way while foraging – though you’re more likely to be scratched by the spiky gorse spines, but always consider the local wildlife while out on your foraging missions. Only take what you need and leave the rest for other foragers and wildlife to share.