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What Common Flowers Are Edible?
Using edible flowers in baking, cocktails and cooking is one of my favourite things to do. It can elevate a simple dish to something simply beautiful.
As well as being packed with vitamins and antioxidants, edible flowers make fantastic cake decorations and you can also use the leaves and petals as decoration in salads and to garnish soup or savoury dishes.
I thought I’d put a list together of some of my favourite edible flowers found in the UK.
What Are the Edible Purple Flowers in the UK?
There are more than you think!
Maybe you’re thinking of lavender? Or sage, basil and rosemary flowers are also purple and all edible and delicious!
Violas and pansies can also be purple and are fantastic when used to decorate ice creams and cakes.
What White Flowers Can you Eat?
Wild garlic flowers are white, have a very savoury taste and look so pretty sprinkled over salads.
And apple blossom and white clover have delicate white petals and can also be eaten.
Just remember, if you’re picking flowers from the hedgerow or garden, give them a shake to make sure you’re not taking any insects home with you!
I tend to wash my flowers and then pat them dry with kitchen roll.
What English Flowers Are Edible?
How many English flowers are edible? To be honest — I don’t know the definitive answer! But I can certainly name a good list; with enough variety of blooms that I use myself in salads or baking.
50 Edible Flowers Found In The UK
Here is a list of edible flowers that you can find in UK gardens or hedgerows. I’ve used all of these in various ways over the years.
Some are perfect sprinkled in and over salads — Chive, Pea and Nasturtium flowers. Others can be used to decorate biscuits and cakes.
They all give a different flavour or taste. Some are sweet and fruity. Others peppery and sharp.
Just remember, if you’re eating the bulbs of a plant — for example onions and garlic — it stands to reason that you can also eat their blooms.
- Alliums (Chives, leeks and garlic/wild garlic blossoms)
- Angelica (Wild Celery)
- Anise Hyssop
- Bee balm (Bergamot)
- Blackcurrant blossoms
- Borage
- Calendula or Pot Marigolds (Calendula officinalis)
- Chamomile
- Courgette flowers
- Clary Sage
- Clover
- Cornflower
- Daisy
- Dandelion
- Dianthus (Pinks)
- Dill
- Elderflower
- Evening Primrose
- Flowering Reccurrant
- Flowering Whitecurrant
- Fuchsia
- Geraniums
- Goldenrod
- Hibiscus
- Hollyhock
- Honeysuckle
- Jasmine
- Lavender
- Lemon balm
- Lilac
- Marshmallow
- Meadowsweet
- Mint
- Nasturtium
- Pansy
- Pea Flowers
- Primrose
- Red Clover
- Rocket flowers
- Sage
- Snapdragon
- Squash blossoms
- Sunflower
- Sweet Violet
- Sweet Woodruff
- Thyme
- Viola
- Rose petals
- White Clover
- Yarrow
Can You Be Allergic to Edible Flowers?
The simple answer to this is yes. Allergic reactions can most definitely be caused by edible flowers.
It’s always best to be safe and check that the flowers are on the safe list before you use them as a garnish. It’s also best not to eat the whole flower. Always remove the stamens and pistils.
And if you have asthma or have a known pollen allergy — or are susceptible to severe allergies — do not eat flowers as a precaution.
My Favourite Edible Flowers
My favourite edible flowers — by far — are Flowering Currant blooms (pictured above).
The shrubs are ornamental — so the berries (although not toxic) don’t taste particularly good. But the flowers taste absolutely delicious!!
Imagine the most intensely currant flavour (more so even than Ribena!) and this is how they taste.
They work brilliantly on biscuits. I have shared my recipe for shortbread biscuits with edible flowers here on the Listed Home before.
And they give gin and tonic the sweetest, most delicious edge too. Almost like an aroma — rather than a taste.
It’s quite simply delicious.
And looks pretty too!
We grow most of the flowers that I’ve mentioned here in our garden — or down the allotment. But you can also buy edible flowers from Waitrose! Or online from reputable companies like Westlands.
Some More Posts You May Like
Looking for more floral content? Check out these posts below.
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
