Sunday Telegraph "The leaves were exceptionally good".
Anneka Rice on Radio 2 - "Almost too beautiful to eat"

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Nasturtium and pumpkin seed bread.

The recipe for this lovely bread comes from Frances Bissell’s new book, The Scented Baker which is available to buy from our website from next week – click here. Advance orders are being taken now. We were honoured that Frances chose Maddocks Farm Organics as her recommended source of edible flowers in her new book and delighted when we were approached to try some of her recipes in advance. What I love about Frances’ approach to edible flowers is that she uses them in recipes rather than just as a garnish on the side. This bread contains both nasturtium flowers and seeds and is fabulous.   DSCF3626 Makes a 1kg/2lb loaf 500grms/1lb strong white flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons fast action yeast 2 tablespoons olive oil 300ml/1/2pint of warm water 75grms/3 oz pumpkin seeds 10 nasturtium flowers (I added more as I love to see the bright flecks through the bread) 1 tablespoon fresh nasturtium seeds, chopped Mix all the dry ingredients into a bowl, make a well in the middle and pour in the oil and the water. Draw the flour into the centre and mix well until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Once the flour and liquids are combined, quickly work in the petals and seeds. (If you want the petals to look large and more complete the add them towards the end of the kneading process so they don’t break up so much). Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for five minutes. Shape the dough and put it into a lightly greased 1kg/2lb loaf tin. Cover loosely with lightly oiled greased cling film and let it rise in a moderately warm place for about an hour, by which time it should have doubled in size. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 200 degree c/400degree F/gas mark 6. Turn the loaf onto a wire rack and cool completely before slicing – if you can bear to wait.  DSCF3660 You can order a box of nasturtium flowers from us here. If you make a note on your order, I am happy to throw in a tablespoon of nasturtium seeds for free. (We are nothing if not generous here!!) :) You can order Frances’ Book here.



Nasturtium and pumpkin seed bread.

The Floral Baker by Francis Bissell


The Floral Baker by Francis Bissell

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Nasturtium Cordial

 


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Nasturtium cordial is a stunning and refreshing summer drink when diluted with sparkling water and can also be used as a syrup for flavouring cocktails etc.


200grms of organic caster sugar


225ml of water


50 nasturtium flowers


large sprig of lemon thyme or lemon verbena (a small piece of finely chopped ginger is also a great addition)


squeeze of lemon juice


Pop all the ingredients (except the lemon juice) into a pan and gently bring to the boil stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Cover, take off the heat and allow to sit for until completely cold and then strain out the flowers and herbs.


Decanted into a clean sterile bottle and the cordial will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge.


 


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Nasturtium Cordial

Saturday 9 August 2014

Thursday 7 August 2014

Petal and Prosecco Jelly.

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Edible Petal and Proscecco Jelly


This recipe can be adapted a million different ways using a host of different edible flowers. You can use Pimms or Champagne, white wine or whatever your favourite tipple is.  I’ve made a Gin & Tonic Jelly with lemon flavoured oxalis flowers in it. We also make a wonderful Rose and Prosecco Jelly using homemade rose petal syrup. Alternatively you could make a non alchoholic flower jelly using clear soft drinks such as grape juice, apple juice etc or ready made soft drinks such as Elderflower Cordial.  The only thing to remember when making floral jellies is that the more alcohol in the recipe then the more gelatine will be needed to set it.


Recipe


10 leaves of gelatin


750 ml bottle of Prosecco


150ml of Elderflower Cordial


A large handful of organic edible flower petals*.


Optional soft fruit if you wish.


Put the individual jelly moulds or large mould in the fridge along with the Prosecco and chill for at least an hour. This is particularly important if you are using a fizzy drink such as Proscecco. The colder the ingredients going into the jelly then the faster the jelly will set. If it sets quickly then it will trap the bubbles within the jelly and these will burst as you eat the jelly releasing flavour and ‘fizz’.


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Place the gelatin in a bowl of cold water to soften for a couple of minutes.


Put the elderflower cordial into a small pan and add the squeezed out sheets of gelatin. Gentle heat until the sheets are completely dissolved. Take off the heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.


This next stage is a bit of faff but it does make the end result far more attractive. Put one third of the gelatine mix into a jug with 1/3 of the Proscecco and give a quick but thorough stir. Pour into the mould and add 1/3 of the fresh flowers giving them a gentle nudge to make sure they are trapped within the jelly. Put the jelly in the fridge and either re-cork or wrap a bit of clingfilm around the top of the Prosecco and return to the fridge as well. Chill for at least 45 minutes or possibly a little longer until the jelly is just firm to the touch. Repeat this process two more times although you might need to very slightly warm the gelatin mixture again in the pan if it has set in the meantime. This method ensures an even distribution of flowers throughout the jelly (likewise if you are adding fruit or even mint leaves). Otherwise there is a danger of them floating to the top and you will loose the visual effect when you turn out the jelly. This does also give you the opportunity to mix things up a little and do different coloured layers if you wished as well.


Return the jelly to the fridge to finally set where it will happily sit for 36 hours or so.


When you want to serve, dip the mould briefly into hot water to loosen the jelly and then turn out onto a plate. Lovely serve the traditional way with icecream or a dollop of crème fraiche and a garnish of fresh edible flowers. If you don’t have a traditional jelly mould it is nice to use a ring mould or bundt tin which offered the opportunity to fill the central cavity with fresh flowers, fruit or both. Or serve directly into wine glasses so that you can see the layers and petals through the glass and you don’t have the drama of having to turn it out and hoping that it has set.


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* Make sure that the petals used are both organic and edible. Do not use petals from supermarket or garden centre flowers or bought from florists as they are sprayed with a cocktail of preservatives, herbicides and insecticides which are not fit for human consumption.



Petal and Prosecco Jelly.