Strawberryade recipe

This strawberryade is probably our favourite non-alcoholic drink to serve up at summer parties.

Sweet with just the right amount of sharpness from the added lemon juice, and packed with fresh strawberries. Where possible, it's best to use fresh, really ripe, in-season British strawberries, and they will give the best, sweetest flavour. Out of strawberry season, try frozen ones (defrosted) for the best taste. Imported strawberries are often disappointingly flavourless and watery. Serve over plenty of ice, and you can dilute it with fizzy water, too, if you want something with sparkle (or with champagne for something even fancier).

Ingredients

• 250g strawberries, hulled
• 3 lemons, scrubbed
• 75g caster sugar
• 750ml boiling water

Method

1. Crush the strawberries roughly with a potato masher or stick blender in a bowl. 
2. Pare the rind thinly from half the lemons with a vegetable peeler making sure to leave as much white pith behind as possible or this will the make the strawberryade bitter. 
3. Halve and squeeze the juice from all the lemons then mix into the strawberries with the sugar.
4. Pour on the boiling water, stir well to mix then cover and leave to cool place. Transfer to the fridge overnight.
5. Next day, strain if liked, and pour into a bottle, seal and chill in the fridge until needed. Use within 2 days. Serve undiluted with ice or mixed half and half with sparkling water for children.

Top tip for making strawberryade

For hot days, you can make this strawberryade into delicious ice lollies. Just freeze it in your usual ice lolly trays.

You might also like...

• Pimms recipe
• Summer recipes
• Buffet food ideas