How to Use Edible Flowers in the Kitchen

As pretty to look at as they are, flowers haven’t just been used for romantic bouquets. In ancient Egypt, chamomile was considered sacred and was used both for medicinal purposes as well as for beauty, which is why the flowers have been spotted in ancient hieroglyphics. Throughout British history, the elderflower has been popular from elderflower syrups in Tudor times to the more luxurious elderflower champagne in the late-Victorian era. As for the blue borage, legend has it  the flower used to be given to Roman soldiers in wine to give them courage ahead of battle.

When it comes to bringing flowers into the kitchen it’s important to properly research any you forage for before using them to make sure they’re not toxic. Listed below are some of the common edible flowers you can find in the US and UK as well as some ideas of how you can get creative with them. Hopefully this introductory guide will inspire you to create your own floral dishes!

Edible Flower Guide:

• Bee balm - the tubular flower comes in shades of pink, red, purple and white, has a minty taste and a citrusy aroma. This flower can be used in teas, preserves, or for infusing an apple cider vinegar for using on salads.
• Borage - these blue flowers have a mild flavour often compared to cucumber or honey. Combine the flowers with lemon in a preserve, add to shortbread or use egg white and sugar to candy them for topping cakes. Their light flavour also complements cucumber in a springtime salad and their vibrant blue makes them striking when added to ice cubes.
• Chamomile - the daisy-like white flowers have a mild, apple flavour. Beyond your classic camomile tea, there are plenty of creative uses for chamomile in the kitchen. Its light taste pairs well with ice cream, panna cotta, or aromatic milk-infusions as well as alongside vanilla or honey in sponge cakes. Being a dainty flower it can also be used for visual effect - added to lollipops and candies.
• Dandelions - fry them up to make fritters, steep the flowers in tea or the flowers can be used for garnishing, used either whole or you can pluck the individual petals for sprinkling. These bright yellow flowers match well with flavours of lemon and honey.
• Elderflowers - a delicate floral flavour, elderflower can be added to prosecco or cocktails, steeped in sugar syrup to make a cordial, fermented to make a wild soda, added to cakes alongside spring-summer fruits like lemon, raspberry and strawberries or you can fry whole elderflower heads in a sweetened batter for a tasty fritter.