Floral Feast

Nasturtium

English Lavender

Golden Lemon Thyme

Pansy

Pansy

English lavender: Use the tighter buds to cook or bake with and the open blossoms for garnishing. The buds’ sweet, floral flavour with a citrus hint are delicious sprinkled over an iced chocolate cake, or mix with savory, fennel, basil and thyme to make Herbs de Provence and season fish or chicken before grilling.

Chives: This onion-flavoured herb is pretty as a garnish on savoury soups and salads or torn apart in an omelet. Make your own chive flower vinegar by filling a sterile jar with flowers. Cover with white or white wine vinegar and leave for a week in the fridge then strain and use in salad dressings.

Crimson treasure dianthus’ sweet blossoms, speckled with golden flecks, are mildly spicy—like pumpkin pie spice. Toss them in salads.

Golden lemon thyme has a pungent lemon scent that is fantastic in any dish where you would usually use thyme. It pairs particularly well with chicken.

Pansies, violas and violets are an old-fashioned favourite candied on cakes, in fruit salads and on ice cream. These beauties, available in a multitude of colours, are sweet and have a highly floral fragrance.

Marigolds: The spicy flavour of these flowers makes them another great salad addition or dessert topper. The Queen Sophia marigold and dicso red varieties are shown here.

Nasturtium’s peppery blooms and leaves are widely used in salads and are delicious in jellies. Try replacing the basil with these flowers for a twist on classic pesto.