There’s an increasing trend for all things floral when it comes to food. Supermarkets have caught on and have started selling edible flowers, but they aren’t cheap, nor as fresh as they’d be if you’d just picked them.
If you fancy having a go at growing your own, here are some of the best kinds to opt for.
Lavender
Enhancing your culinary creations is just one of the reasons to grow lavender in your garden. Bees love it, and the smell is wonderful too. It can be used in cakes, biscuits and ice cream, or for herbal tea. A few sprigs can even complement roast chicken, pork or lamb.
Nasturtium
This plant produces beautiful, brightly coloured blooms that look fabulous in a salad. The leaves have a strong, peppery flavour and can be added to all sorts of recipes, from curries to pasta, stir-fries or meat dishes. The entire flower or buds are also edible.
Pansy
Pansies are one of the favourites of foodies the world over, with images of cakes and salads garnished with the pretty flowers appearing in food magazines and on social media. They have a mild flavour, not dissimilar to lettuce.
Primrose
All shades of primrose are great for cake decoration, and their size makes them ideal for freezing in ice cubes.
Rose
Petals, especially from the more fragrant roses, can be used to flavour icing for cakes and drinks and as garnish, or why not add them to an Eton Mess?
Imagine relaxing on your Outback reclining chairs with a drink made from rose petals or with primrose ice cubes? Heavenly!
