Ingredients

Serves 4-6

Raspberry Cordial:
Sugar syrup (2 cups water and 2 cups sugar)
300g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
juice of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons tartaric acid

Lemon Cordial:
8 lemons
2 tablespoons citric acid
1 tablespoon tartaric acid
Sugar syrup (1.5 litres water + 1.5 kilos sugar)

Method

For the Raspberry Cordial:
Make the sugar syrup. Add the raspberries and lemon juice then simmer for 5 minutes. Stir well, and mash the raspberries up a little.

Add the tartaric acid, then put the mixture through a strainer and allow to cool.

Pour into a bottle and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

For the Lemon Cordial:
Grate 2 tablespoons of rind from the lemons before cutting and juicing them.

Juice the lemons.  You will get more juice from them if you warm them in the microwave for a minute before juicing them.

Add the grated rind and the juice in a large bowl. Add citric and tartaric acids. Pour the hot sugar syrup over the juice and mix well.

Cool and pour into bottles. Store in the fridge for up to a month.

For the Jelly:
Make Raspberry Cordial liquid up to 750ml with water. 

Heat 200ml in saucepan or microwave and stir in 4 ½ teaspoons of gelatine and stir briskly with a fork until dissolved.

Add to remaining liquid and set into required serving bowls or large bowl.

Refrigerate until set.

Notes

These cordials are really easy to make and while they do contain sugar, they have no artificial preservatives or artificial colours.  It is also worthwhile keeping in mind that you only use a dash of cordial in a glass of water, so the sugar cont ent is not really that high.
Some cordials use citric acid and tartaric acid. These are natural acids extracted from lemons and oranges that are used to intensify the flavour of cordial. You can buy them at most supermarkets.
You use them as you would commercial cordials, use either still or sparkling water and add a few berries if you feel like it.  You can also make the cordial up with water and then freeze it into icy poles or iceblocks to add to drinks.
Sugar syrup is always equal quantities of sugar and water, only the amounts will vary from recipe to recipe (this will depend on the sweetness of the fruit being used).