One of the very first fruit trees planted in our garden was a Merryweather Damson — a variety once widely grown across Ireland and the UK. Some think of it as more plum than damson due to its generous size, but for us, it’s the flavour that matters: a true damson, with its distinctive astringent bite. The fruit has a blue-black skin with a powdery bloom, greenish-yellow flesh, juicy and firm, with a clinging stone and that unmistakable damson character.
Despite a poor fruit harvest in 2024, our Merryweather tree had its best year yet, rewarding us with heavy crops and intense flavour. We preserved the fruit in every way we could — jams, cordials, syrups, even an umeboshi-style pickle — and discovered this cordial almost by chance.
The idea came when Anthony baked damsons in Killiane Castle summer honey for breakfast, leaving behind a pool of golden, perfumed syrup. Mixed with lemon juice and sparkling water, it was an instant hit. That flavour combination became the inspiration for this cordial: damsons paired with raw honey and lifted with organic Verna lemons sourced through the CrowdFarming platform. CrowdFarming connects us directly with small-scale Mediterranean citrus farmers — many second- and third-generation growers committed to organic cultivation.
The result is a fragrant, deeply flavoured cordial with the tang of damson, the richness of honey, and the brightness of lemon. Unlike syrups, cordials contain both citrus and a pinch of sea salt to heighten flavour and balance sweetness. Over time, this cordial may gently ferment, creating tiny natural bubbles. Simply give the bottle a shake before pouring.
Presented in a glass cork bottle, on its own or wrapped in illustrated paper that tells the Wexford and Irish food story, and elegantly packaged in our signature black box.
One of the very first fruit trees planted in our garden was a Merryweather Damson — a variety once widely grown across Ireland and the UK. Some think of it as more plum than damson due to its generous size, but for us, it’s the flavour that matters: a true damson, with its distinctive astringent bite. The fruit has a blue-black skin with a powdery bloom, greenish-yellow flesh, juicy and firm, with a clinging stone and that unmistakable damson character.
Despite a poor fruit harvest in 2024, our Merryweather tree had its best year yet, rewarding us with heavy crops and intense flavour. We preserved the fruit in every way we could — jams, cordials, syrups, even an umeboshi-style pickle — and discovered this cordial almost by chance.
The idea came when Anthony baked damsons in Killiane Castle summer honey for breakfast, leaving behind a pool of golden, perfumed syrup. Mixed with lemon juice and sparkling water, it was an instant hit. That flavour combination became the inspiration for this cordial: damsons paired with raw honey and lifted with organic Verna lemons sourced through the CrowdFarming platform. CrowdFarming connects us directly with small-scale Mediterranean citrus farmers — many second- and third-generation growers committed to organic cultivation.
The result is a fragrant, deeply flavoured cordial with the tang of damson, the richness of honey, and the brightness of lemon. Unlike syrups, cordials contain both citrus and a pinch of sea salt to heighten flavour and balance sweetness. Over time, this cordial may gently ferment, creating tiny natural bubbles. Simply give the bottle a shake before pouring.
Presented in a glass cork bottle, on its own or wrapped in illustrated paper that tells the Wexford and Irish food story, and elegantly packaged in our signature black box.
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