What’s not to love about decorating your dishes with flowers? You can use them to decorate your salads, puddings and drinks and they add an extra lift and flavour.
It’s surprising how many flowers you can actually eat but always check before you do as some flowers can be poisonous! And ensure you select from areas that haven’t been touched by pets or chemicals, such as lawns and grass verges.
Flowers you can eat
| Arugula (rocket) | Spicy | Add to salads |
| Borage | Cooling, cucumber-like |
Add to drinks (lemonade or Pimms) or as a garnish
|
| Chamomile | Mild apple |
Dry and make tea, or add to salads or soups
|
| Chives | Mild onion | Add to salads |
| Coriander | Intense Herb |
Add to Asian-style dishes
|
| Clover | Sweet, mild liquorice |
Add to salads in moderation as may cause bloating
|
| Cornflower | Spicy, clove-like |
Garnish dishes or add to drinks
|
| Courgette flowers | Mild courgette |
Tear into salads or stuff with soft cheese and deep fry
|
| Dandelion | Sweet, honey-like |
Pick small unopened buds, scatter over salads
|
| Dill | Intense dill |
Use when cooking fish or scatter raw over salads
|
| Fennel | Mild liquorice |
Good in desserts
|
| Garlic | Mild garlic zing |
Sprinkle over salads
|
| Lavender | Sweet, intensely floral |
Decorate or infuse flavour in drinks or desserts
|
| Lemon Bergamot | Intense citrus |
Add to drinks and desserts or for tea
|
| Nasturtium | Sweet and peppery |
Use to decorate salads and savoury dishes
|
| Pansies | Grassy wintergreen |
Good in fruit salad
|
| Primrose | Mild floral |
Add to salads or crystallise for decoration
|
| Rose petals | Fruity perfume |
Use to infuse drinks or decorate desserts
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| Rosemary | Intense rosemary |
Use to decorate or add flavour
|
| Sage | Mild sage |
Add to salads and savory dishes
|
| Violet | Sweet and perfumed |
Decorate cakes desserts, drinks and salads
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How to crystallise primroses
With thanks for Lovely Greens for this idea.
What you will need
- Egg wash – lightly beat the white of one egg with a teaspoon of cold water
- Edible flowers and leaves – e.g. Primrose flowers and Peppermint leaves
- Sugar – fine textured white or brown granulated sugar will do. Icing/powdered sugar is not suitable.
Instructions
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If you’re sure the flowers are clean then you don’t need to wash them. If you do rinse them, you must let the flowers dry completely before continuing.
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Using a clean paintbrush that has never been in contact with potentially toxic substances (think oil paint), paint the egg wash on a flower. Make sure to coat the entire surface, both front and back.
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Pour 1/4 cup of sugar into a bowl and once the flower is coated in egg wash, place the flower in with the sugar. Coat as much of the flower’s surface as you can then take it out and place the flower face-down on a tray lined with baking/kitchen paper. Leave to try for between 1-2 days; primroses take about a day to stiffen up but some of the thicker flowers and leaves will take longer.
Paint a flower with the egg wash then dip it in sugar
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Once hardened, use the flowers to decorate cakes, cupcakes, and desserts. They can last for up to a year if stored in a dark, dry place. These flowers are also so pretty that they’re perfect for decorating a spring cake or even being packaged up in tissue paper and given to a friend as a gift.
