Archive - Chorleywood House Estate

Green Flag Award

The Chorleywood House Estate has this summer been granted the prestigious Green Flag Award as one of the best green spaces in the country. Inspectors visited the site in June, and were impressed by the ease of access, the presence of such variety of areas – formal parkland, open meadows and mature woodland leading to the River Chess. They felt that Three Rivers District Council together with the Friends of Chorleywood House Estate were maintaining and improving the grounds for the benefit of the community. They mention also the community groups which use the estate, such as the Youth Football and Tennis Clubs.

To learn more about the Green Flag awards, visit their website www.greenflagaward.org.uk. Chorleywood is in the Eastern Region.

Elderflower Cordial

On Sunday June 14th there was a remarkably successful conducted walk round the Chorleywood House Estate, led by Petrina Llewellyn from the Countryside Management Service. At the end of the walk, Eleanor Clarke served some of her very refreshing elderflower cordial, made from elderflowers picked from the estate. Here is Eleanor’s recipe:

Mid-June, and the elder bushes are in flower all over the estate. You will recognise their big clumps of white flowers, particularly along the borders of the big fields. Choose a fine sunny day, take a pair of scissors and a clean bucket, and maybe a walking stick with a curved handle so you can pull the branches towards you – gently so you don’t damage the trees. You will need:

15 large heads of elderflower. Using scissors, trim off excess stalks when you get home.
900 g castor sugar
1 lemon, sliced thinly
40 g tartaric or citric acid powder (available from pharmacies)
500 ml water

Put everything except the water into a large clean bowl, bring the water to the boil and pour it over, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let it cool a bit, then cover (I use cling-film) and place it somewhere shady and cool.Stir it once a day; after 4 days taste, and see if it has enough zing. You can leave it one more day, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve, or a muslin-lined colander. Put it in clean bottles and store in the fridge. Drink diluted with cold water. Fizzy water is nice with it, and maybe even a slug of vodka.

Scrub clearance from fallen tree

Earlier this month (3/4 March), a group of volunteers cleared scrub from round a felled holm oak tree in the parkland that the contractors had not touched! Pupils of the Montessori school – and the general public – can now enjoy playing round the massive fallen trunk.

Before

After