Cowslip Wine

This delightful recipe for cowslip wine hails from late 17th-century England, found in the manuscript cookbook of Jane Dawson, an early modern housewife. Home winemaking using seasonal wildflowers like cowslips was a cherished custom for country families, capturing the fleeting fragrances of spring. Cowslip (Primula veris) was abundant in English meadows and prized both for its gentle floral aroma and its purported medicinal properties. Such recipes were generally the domain of women managing household provisions, and documented with an assumption of familiarity with the basic techniques of brewing and fermenting. Home-brewed wines like this would take pride of place at genteel tables, often served on festive occasions.

Historically, this wine would be made with large copper or iron cauldrons for boiling the water and sugar. After cooling, the mixture went into wooden tubs, earthenware crocks, or large stoneware jars for fermentation. The flowers were picked using baskets, and the lemons juiced with knives and wooden presses. The liquid was strained with muslin or fine cloth, then bottled into glass bottles with corks and paraffin wax or leather seals. A cool cellar or larder was essential for safe storage during fermentation and aging.