Well-considered pairings of food with attractively-arranged flowers are a simple and effective way to bring a touch of early spring into your home.
Whether for special occasions such as a birthday celebration or anniversary, Sunday brunch, a dinner party or just to please yourself, food and flowers stimulate all of the senses simultaneously and evoke feelings of bringing nature into your home. A small pleasure which never fails to cheer you up!
Informality seems to be the key. Choosing flowers that are appropriate for a special social occasion can sometimes be daunting. Edinburgh is dotted with creative florists and one of my favourites is Rose & Ammi in Bruntsfield, filled with a huge selection of flowers and plants.
My choice of flowers, a small hand-tied bouquet, with tulips for colour and a contrast of foliage plus eucalyptus for a wonderful scent to complement the tulips, simply – and classically – wrapped in brown paper.
Keeping the flowers short provides an opportunity for easy presentation on a dinner table – using low containers to ensure the flowers are beautifully presented but still unobtrusive.
Suitability of container (such as small egg cups, a water glass, empty tin can, small tea pot) is a major consideration in the aesthetics of the presentation and depends on the position where the arrangement is to be placed.
Then, it’s back to the kitchen for Sunday Brunch – time to enjoy your beautifully-arranged blooms, which will complement a traditonal (maybe with a modern twist) breakfast menu:
Freshly squeezed orange juice topped with chopped mint
Scrambled eggs with delicious crispy, grilled organic (if you can) bacon
Creamy Herb Omelette
Buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup topped with blueberries or thin strips of crispy fried bacon
Hot buttered toasted brioche bun topped with smashed avocado, poached egg and chopped chives. (If feeling adventurous add Hollandaise sauce!)
Rhubarb and ricotta on toasted fruit bread
Vanilla hot coffee
Have fun gathering round the table for a lazy, well-deserved Sunday Brunch, with a lovely bunch of flowers as the centrepiece.
Be creative!