2 December 2013

H is for HEARTSEASE

As a food stylist (I fashion all the food for my Listener columns and the photos are set up with the help of the very talented stylist Kate Arbuthnot) I am always trying to think of ways to make my food look more and more deliciously attractive.

Sometimes I want it to look very pretty and that's when I find flowers to decorate for a gorgeous finishing touch. But they must be edible!

My favourites are brightly coloured nasturtium flowers when I want vivid notes on the plate, borage flowers or thyme flowers when something more subtle is called for, and for prettying up a cake or a special dessert there's always the wonderfully delicate heartsease flowers like those in the pic.

Heartsease are from the viola family and are full of antioxidants, so there's nothing quite like a little bit of window dressing that is good for you!