A festive table is remembered for how it looks as well as how it tastes: a sprig of rosemary on a salad, pomegranate seeds on a starter or a salad shaped like a Christmas tree instantly set the New Year mood. You do not need advanced cooking skills. Here are simple ideas for garnishing dishes, table-setting tips and the rules to follow if you want to decorate food with flowers.
Use only edible flowers grown for eating — sold with fresh herbs or grown yourself without pesticides: viola, nasturtium, calendula, basil and chive flowers.
Flowers from a bouquet are not suitable for food: cut flowers are treated with plant-protection products.
Many ornamental plants are poisonous, for example lily of the valley, oleander, foxglove and hyacinth. If you are not sure a flower is edible, keep it off the plate.
Put fresh flowers for the table in a separate container so they do not touch the food.
Right before serving: herbs and cut vegetables quickly lose their fresh look.
Can I decorate a cake with fresh roses?
Only with roses grown without pesticides specifically for culinary use; wrap the stems in cling film or use special picks so they do not touch the cream.
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
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