Overview

Any comprehensively stocked kitchen will have many scented ingredients in the spice rack, drawer or cupboard, ranging from pungent to aromatic, depending on the types of dishes prepared and enjoyed in each household. This book is not concerned with any of them.

The subject matter of The Scented Kitchen is perfumed flowers from the flower garden, using them in various ways to impart flavour and aroma, and in some instance, colour also.

Had I come across this title on a shelf, I might well have passed it by, thereby missing an interesting read.

Full review

The first section heading is “A brief and partial history of the scented kitchen” and very partial it is too, concentrating totally on England and English authors. There is certainly no mention of Ireland, Wales, Scotland or rural England, and definitely not France or the Middle Eastern countries, where flowers were and still are used in the making of syrups, pastries, creams and jams.

To inform us of the extensive use of flowers to flavour and decorate food in past centuries, Bissell refers to various manuscripts from the 16th to 18th Centuries, occasionally quoting passages from them when she wishes to make a particular point. She then refers to the three primary writers of cookery books of the Victorian era (Miss Acton, Mrs. Beeton and Mrs. Marshall) and discusses the absence of flowers in their recipes and the lack of any reference to flowers in mainstream 20th Century English cookery.

The second section is a discussion of equipment for drying, cooking and candying flowers, and techniques for extracting the flavour of flowers in various ways. Here you will find simple methods for making flower flavoured sugars, butters, syrups, custards, vinegars, vodkas, edible oils, and jellies. The flavoured and aromatic sugars, syrups, butters and custards may be incorporated into ice creams, desserts, cakes, biscuits and so on. In many instances, colour is imparted to food as well as flavour and aroma.

The third section consists of chapters for different flowers beginning with a discussion of the flower’s properties and continuing on to recipes for both sweet and savoury and hot and cold dishes. Many of these set my taste buds tingling and I will definitely try a few when the warm weather returns and the necessary plants are in bloom once again.

The flower garden has a limited number of plants with flowers that will impart flavour and perfume to foods so recipes using rose petals and lavender flowers predominate, for both sweet and savoury dishes.

Bissell states clearly at the start that the perfume and taste of lavender is her first love, and her wish to capture that perfume and incorporate it into her cooking was the beginning of her interest in using flowers in the kitchen. This shows in the number and variety of recipes that include lavender.

Flowers that are featured less frequently in recipes are fennel flowers, jasmine, clove pink, marigold, borage, violet and elderflower. There are others, including the delicate flavour and colour of saffron (though technically just the stigma of the flower, not the full flower) and the peppery flavour of nasturtium leaves.

The one obvious omission from the book is geranium, and that surprised me given its use in other countries and the extensive exposure to other cuisines that Bissell is said to have. Still, why quibble over one plant when there are riches to be had without it?

This is a stylish book. A slender paperback of 232 pages. The card stock used for the cover is delightfully smooth and satiny to hold and the design incorporates folded flaps resembling a dust jacket. The folded, rather than cut front edges give the book a substantial appearance and feel.

The author is well known in Britain, Europe and the USA and is a respected food writer, cook and author. She was food writer for The Times for thirteen years and her many articles, books and awards make an impressive list. Her writing is easy to read with simply worded but clear instruction accompanying the recipes.

If you are looking for a recipe book that is good to read with interesting additions to many standard food items, then you should definitely add this to your shopping list.