With the colder days approaching, what better way to add a pop of colour and show that little bit of extra care and attention than adding edible flowers to your meal? Edible flowers don't just have to be added for decoration as often they can really stand out as a flavour in their own right. The spicy pepperiness of nasturtiums, the cucumbery freshness of a borage flower, the subtle tang of wood sorrel blooms and the pungent oily notes of rosemary petals, flowers can be used to flavour soups, dressings, oils, spice rubs and beverages and can leave people wondering, what is that flavour?
A fresh autumn morning flower forage can be such wholesome way to build a deeper connection to the food you eat and bring some joy and beauty to the dinner table. Venturing out with a basket in hand in May will see you find nasturtium (try pickling the buds in vinegar), yarrow, calendula, borage, cornflowers, pansies, rocket flowers, daisies, roses, pink clover, fuchsia and many more. Do be careful though, not all flowers are edible. If if doubt, its best not to use them.
These simple and versatile edible flower recipes will arm you with some culinary ‘tricks up your sleeve’ to keep in your pantry and use to brighten up the winter months.
200 g dairy-free butter (nutalex or olivani)
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
zest 1 lemon
100 g lavender sugar
275 g plain flour, sifted
25g cornflour, sifted
1/2 tsp dried lavender (optional)
soy milk to glaze
edible flowers and leaves
Preheat the oven to 160c and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cream the butter, vanilla, lemon zest and sugar together. Stir in the flours and dried lavender if using and mix into a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to rest and firm up.
Once the dough is chilled, roll out to approximately 1/2 cm thickness and cut into shapes and, brush with soy milk and press an edible flower into each biscuit. Place on the baking sheet, sprinkle with a little extra lavender sugar and bake for 12-15 minutes until just turning golden at the edges but still pale in the middle. You want to try and keep the colour of the flowers.
Leave to cool and store in an airtight container for a week or freezer 3 months.