Our writer, Rachel McAlley recently visited the famous elderflower plantation fields at Belvoir Farm in Leicestershire to find out all about the brand.
The first thing we should note is that we’ve all been saying Belvoir incorrectly for years! This includes our writer Rachel, who always says Belvoir, when it’s actually pronounced Beaver, who knew!
The land around Belvoir Farm was a gift from William the Conqueror. In the 11th Century French was spoken around England’s courts, and the French word Belvoir translates as Beautiful View. This all makes sense as Belvoir sits in the Vale of Belvoir. Located under the site of Belvoir Castle where William the Conqueror once lived hundreds of years ago.
Belvoir Farm is a working farm in UK, owned by the Manners family. The elderflower season is a short one, just 6 weeks between the end of spring and the beginning of summer. However, this is when the farm comes to life. People from all around the region including locals, villagers, students, and families visit the 60 acres of organic elderflower plantations to help harvest the flowers.
Every person that harvests the elderflowers receives payment by the weight of their bags. Some visitors make enough money for a family holiday four people; others make money for Christmas gifts. Whatever their reason it’s a great way to get the local community together to pick elderflowers for Belvoir Farm. Moreover, it’s an added bonus that they get paid for doing so.
Elderflower Harvest
The team at Belvoir Farm sort through the elderflowers before they reach the local factory where they are made into elderflower cordial. Furthermore, they also make around 40 other cordials and sparkling drinks at Belvoir Farm.
Firstly, at Belvoir Farm headquarters they have a production kitchen where they test new potential flavours, construct exciting sparkling drinks, and create fruity and floral cordials. Secondly, they use fresh ingredients in each drink that they produce. Thirdly, their famous Elderflower Cordial has just six ingredients in every bottle.
What’s more, it was a great experience for our writer Rachel to see how Belvoir Farm drinks are produced from field to bottle in just a matter of days.
Inside the Elderflower Harvest at Belvoir Farm
Belvoir Farm offers a fascinating look at how one of Britain’s best-known elderflower drinks begins its journey from field to bottle. During the short six-week harvest season, local families, students and villagers help gather flowers from 60 acres of organic plantations across the Vale of Belvoir. The community-led approach gives the annual harvest a distinctive character, while careful sorting ensures only suitable elderflowers continue to the nearby production facility where the farm’s much-loved cordials are created.
From Fresh Flowers to Bottled Cordial
Behind the scenes, the production kitchen is where fresh ingredients are transformed into new flavours, sparkling drinks and fruity cordials. Belvoir Farm keeps its famous Elderflower Cordial refreshingly simple, using just six ingredients, while its team continues experimenting with seasonal combinations. Seeing the process up close makes it clear how closely the finished drinks are connected to the surrounding countryside. From harvesting delicate flowers to testing new recipes, each stage reflects the farm’s focus on flavour, freshness and its local roots.
For more information about Belvoir Farm and for the full list of drinks that they produce visit the website to find out more – Belvoir Farm.
If elderflowers excite you and you love your garden check out this feature about taking your gardening hobby to the next level.
