10 edible flowers you can pick from your garden right now – and how to cook with them

Nasturtiums are a classic edible flower. And being a common garden plant, chances are you might be growing it already.

"Nasturtiums are probably my favourite annual edible plate due to its slightly radish/pepper-like taste," says Wesley Smalley, chef patron of Seasonality, a restaurant in Berkshire's Maidenhead with a focus on locally-sourced ingredients and seasonal cooking.

"We use them in salads, as garnish with meat or fish and with strawberries and cream," he says.

Liam Dillon – who runs the The Boat, a restaurant with a micro-farm in Lichfield, Staffordshire – also recommends nasturtiums with seafood, while Shelley would use them to add oomph to green juices and smoothies.

According to Wesley, the self-seeding flowers grow "practically anywhere" and need only minimal watering. Sown in April and May, they will thrive all through the summer until early autumn.

Commonly found in hedgerows, meadow sweet has an interesting backstory. It's an "ancient plant that people used to use to dry and scent bed linen. You lay it in between all your sheets the cupboard. It's got an amazing smell," Shelley tells us.

Thanks to the gardener's enthusiasm for plant, meadow sweet is now a staple in Fowlescombe Farm's kitchen. "When I asked the chefs whether they could use it in the kitchen, it was an immediate yes! I picked some from the hedges around the farm with the guests that day, and it was infused into a cheesecake for supper that night by infusing with cream and heating gently," she recalls.

So what does it taste like? "Just a lovely sort of sweet, almost hay-like flavour," Shelley says. "You know, when you drive past a field that someone's cut for hay and you get that sort of meadowy smell – it smells of meadow."

It's worth pointing out that caution is advised for those with aspirin sensitivities, asthma, or during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Borage produces beautiful blue-lilac blossoms in the summer and, being a weed, it's a hardy plant that can grow in most conditions, Liam tells us.

"The plant grows wild. If you see it, just leave it in the garden and use it as garnishes for a variety of dishes," the restaurateur and chef recommends. "It pairs well with seafood. We currently use it on our oyster amuse bouche, which has horseradish crème, cucumber and borage for its garnish."

Because of its abundant nectar and pollen production, and its long flowering period, borage is a beneficial for pollinators, too. So next time you spot this weed in your garden, leave a few plants – it might just improve your cooking as well as your garden.

Also known as pot marigold, calendula is another annual flower that is both pretty and edible. According to Wesley and Shelley, it has a tangy, bitter taste with a slight citrus note, reminiscent of saffron.

"When dried the taste intensifies. We use them to infuse into oil or vinegar bringing out its striking colour," says Wesley.

Shelley's tip: "Do add a beautiful shot of colour to salads as well as make an amazing whipped butter or cheesecake with their bright orange hues."

Calendula thrives in well-drained soil in full sunlight. They can be grown easily from seeds and even before spring has sprung. "The plant can be sown early indoors six weeks before the last frost for an early bloom," says Wesley.

Cornflowers are a cottage garden favourite, but they can also be found in meadows and, as their name suggests, grain fields. Pick them, and you have a wonderful kitchen ingredient.

"It has a slightly sweet clove-like taste but is mild so works well through salads or mixed into soft goat’s curd," Wesley says. "And when dried, it's nice as decoration for cakes or on poached fruits."

Want to sow your own? Being wildflowers, they're naturally hardy but when you grow them from scratch, Wesley recommends moderate watering until the plants are established, after which they're "relatively drought tolerant".

Gardeners growing courgettes in their vegetable patch should notice the plant's bright yellow-and-orange flowers blossoming right about now – and they're just as delicious as the fruit.

"The flowers grow off the courgette stem in summer months. We take the stamen out and then stuff the flowers while they are raw and then steam them," says Liam.

"You can pair courgette flower with seafood such as mussels and scallops, or a popular way of eating them is stuffed with ricotta and herbs and deep frying them."

Chives are another common kitchen ingredient – and garden staple – that is more versatile than many might realise.

"Clumps of chives dotted around the garden are so generous as they cheerfully send up new leaves and flowers after being hacked to the ground every few weeks," says Shelley.

"The bees love the flowers and our chefs use them for flavouring whipped butters, garnishing salads and bringing some subtle garlicky sweetness to dishes," she explains.

The gardener shares an expert planting tip as well. "Each year, it is worth digging up the plants, tidying up any messy leaves and gently pulling in half to divide into new clumps. Plant back into the soil and water well, and then water with a comfrey or seaweed-based feed to cheer them up after dividing and replanting."

The vegetable garden is a true treasure trove this time of year, providing much more food than meets the eye. "The flowers and blossom from summer vegetables are some of the most wonderful fresh tasting ingredients," says Wesley.

According to the chef patron, the "byproducts" of plants like beans and brassicas are often overlooked and underused – a mistake. "The sweet pea like taste is amazing in salads, with grilled meats and tossed with pickled vegetables," he recommends.

So next time you wander through your vegetable patch, look beyond the harvest you expect. From blossoms to tender shoots, the garden is full of edible surprises.