Some notes on floral flavours and ingredients

In my earlier book, The Scented Kitchen: Cooking with Flowers, I wrote at length about edible flowers and how to use them to make floral jams and jellies, glazes and sugars, creams and butter, but you do not have to prepare all floral flavours from scratch. There are excellent commercial flower waters, essences, alcohols, dried flowers, jams, jellies and syrups available. Some of the more common ones, such as orange flower water and rose essence, can be found in the larger supermarkets, a number of which also now stock own-label lavender sugar. Dried rose petals can be bought from herbalists and health food shops, as well as those specialising in Middle Eastern and Asian ingredients. Dried lavender for culinary purposes is increasingly available, from lavender farms and also from producers of herbs and spices. Saffron is a store-cupboard essential in my kitchen, for both sweet and savoury baking, literally kept in the cupboard, as it should always be stored in a dry, dark place in an airtight container. And, when I can, I collect fresh fennel flowers, as these are perfect combined with cheese and other savoury items in pastries and muffins.