01 Sep Edible flowers and an art inspired garden
My social media time line is always filled with stunning images of delicious food. More recently these creations even look prettier using edible flowers. It is definitely one of the new culinary trends for both the professional chef and keen home cook. But is it really a new thing to use flowers for cooking and what do they taste like?
I thought it was about time to look into this subject a few months ago and wrote an article about edible flowers for Eastlife magazine. At the same time, I found out that Sainsbury’s will be stocking Edible flowers at their vegetable departments soon too. But what about the independent retailers in Cambridge? I was disappointed to find out that you only can buy Edible flowers online and these aren’t even local businesses. The turnover is apparently not high enough to make it worth while. So then there is only one solution. Grow them yourself! As a guidance, you can buy a book about Edible flowers, but there is nothing better than to draw on the knowledge and inspiration from the Master herself!
Kathy Brown and her husband have created an amazing garden at their homestead close to Bedford. I was pointed out to her by Edible Ornamentals, who grow Chillies. Not a flower of course, but an interesting and delicious edible fruit with a kick. I decided to join Kathy on a tour of her garden this week to learn about edible flowers, which I did, but I came away with a completely new look at how to create and design a garden. When Kathy and her husband bought the homestead 30 years ago, they created a formal garden close to their house. Through the years they have turned the rest of the meadows into a fascinating landscape, also known as ‘the Art Gardens’. Famous paintings such as Monet and pieces of art inspire Kathy. When she comes across an interesting piece of art, she uses this as the planting scheme. The structure and colours of the plants resemble this piece of art.
You do not need to be a gardener to fall in love with her vision and garden. It is a must visit for anybody, excellent for team building experiences too. The message is, use your creativity, think outside the box and any tool is allowed and possible.
Are you planning to spend some time in Cambridge sightseeing and enjoying the food scene? Kathy’s homestead is an hour drive away in Bedfordshire. The perfect time to arrive is 1 pm and enjoy your picnic in one of the beauty spots in the garden, followed by a garden tour of 1.5 hours and tea and home-made cake with edible flowers and home-grown produce.
Read the article about Edible Flowers in Eastlife Magazine online.
Visit Kathy Brown’s Homestead close to Bedford. More information here.
Keen to enjoy the food local food scene of Cambridge? This is a must for a foodie!
Gerla
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