Above: the elder trees are now heavy with fruit. The berries stain the ground where they fall. Birds often appear inebriated after consuming the berries.
Above: earlier in the week I was given a bottle of elderberry wine, which I drank this lunchtime (all of it). Being honest, it did not compare with a Bordeaux or Gigondas. It sent me to sleep for an hour an a half.
Above: there is a large amount of place-name evidence in the county that demonstrates the importance of the elder tree to the pre-industrial economy. As well as wine, the berries would be used for a medicinal syrup. This pub (vaguely Arts & Crafts in style, but perhaps a rebuild of a far older edifice) may have been a meeting place for foragers who would sell their elder products at roadside stalls nearby.
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