Of Bravery And Elderberries

Badgers, rumour has it, eat elderberries. Well, according to the Stoat Appreciation Society* they do. Quite why they specifically prefer elderberries is something that may not be entirely understood, and certainly shouldn’t be questioned. Elderberries, even before this, have provided a disproportionate level of entertainment to the trifle-eating cat’s family, given their reference in Monty Python and the Holy Grail...

“Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelled of elderberries”

My mother was a lion tamer print from Paul of Navarone on Etsy

A considerable amount of time was spent, and unsuppressed laughter emitted, a couple of Christmases ago, when at least half of this phrase was forgotten and attempts made to remember it resulted in the invention of a foolish number of even-more-foolish alternatives.

There is a risk, if your father smells of elderberries, that he may fall prey to a ravenous badger. Accordingly, here are a selection of recipe alternatives to satisfy a hungry badger and preserve your pop...

Chocolate layer cake with elderberries from Hedonistin

Elderberry jelly from Simply Recipes

Elderberry ice cream from She Eats Bears (but what do the bears eat, I wonder? Very well, if the blog's anything to go by...)

Elderberry pie from Namely Marly

Having fed the badgers, a small but niggling thought has crept along about what sorts of animals prefer other sorts of berries, especially given the range of juicy and promising looking berry-related recipes discovered in the process.

In particular, I wonder what it is that hankers after gooseberries? Geese seem to be far too obvious to be an option...

Gooseberry tartlet from Lara Ferroni

I bet my mum would do something wonderful with elderberries (from what I hear, the rhubarb pies are pretty amazing). She gets up to all sorts of things...

My mother was a hired gun print from Paul of Navarone on Etsy

* Or, at least, the Stoat Appreciation Society’s subconscious mind...