BUILd me Up BUTTercUp ercUp REMEMBER THE DINING DAYS of the ’80s, when flowers at the dinner table were restricted to carnations in mini vases and, if you were super-posh, a couple of nasturtiums in your salad? How colourless were they! These days you can’t get through summer without ingesting all sorts of vibrant blooms – borage, calendula, violets, elderflower, cornflowers, plus all the herb and veg flowers we like to chow down on now – as chefs across the nation jump on the snowballing trend of edible flowers. Planning a wedding? It’s not just the button holes and bouquets you have to plan, it’s what coloured petals to dress your puds and prettify your cake with, too. Although, just don’t make like wellness cook Deliciously Ella who, earlier in June, got slammed by legendary TV botanist James Wong for putting flowers from a toxic plumeria plant on her wedding cake... Yes, you must take some care if foraging for your own. We’re no experts here, but we can tell you the story about morning glory: their seeds can be poisonous, provoking hallucinations in some. Yikes. Lesson is, check a reputable online guide before you go a-picking, or order from a trusted company. We’ve been down to Cullompton to meet one such flower guru, Jan Billington from Maddocks Farm Organics, who’s currently scoffing as many nigellas as she can to test whether the flowers of this cottage garden bloom are okay to eat, as well as the more familiar seeds. She hasn’t keeled over yet, she says (read more on p32). Down on the farm, the flowers are waiting patiently for the sun, as are we – so while we wait, check out our features on alfresco dining and Devon drinking. That way, as soon as that big yellow orb in the sky deigns to even reach for his hat, you know where to head to and what to order. It’s my last issue as editor, but I leave you in the capable hands of a new skilled Devon team who love to prop up a bar and hog a top table just as much as me. Happy eating!
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Charlie Lyon, Editor charlie.lyon@mediaclash.co.uk
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