Fragrant florals – Orange Blossom and Rose Water

No compromises here – it’s authentic or nothing. Middle Eastern brands are not widely available outside big cities in the UK but they’re worth seeking out and stockpiling if necessary. The supermarket versions lack potency while being horribly over-priced. Frankly, they’re so insipid they make me angry. A sniff of the good stuff meanwhile will make English winters just about bearable.

There are many traditional recipes for using rose water and orange blossom water in cookbooks and online, but once you’ve got the ingredients right do stray from the orthodox paths and see what you find. I added a few teaspoons of orange blossom water to a baked cheesecake recipe (from The Hummingbird Bakery cookbook) and the result was divine. The rich, smooth texture of the cheesecake was given a delicate floral lift, adding flavour without over-complicating the classic dessert.

Both orange blossom and rose water work well in the traditional English sponge cake and to flavour the icing. I like these combinations:

Lavender cake with orange blossom icing

Blitz fresh lavender flowers with the sugar to flavour the sponge cake, then mix orange blossom water with icing sugar and a little water.

Geranium cake with rose water icing

Lay some geranium leaves at the bottom of the cake tin to perfume the sponge, make icing as above)

Morning sunshine drink

  • Juice of a pink grapefruit
  • Juice of an orange
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • Generous splash of orange blossom water

Grilled grapefruit

  1. Cut a grapefruit in half, use a knife to score around the segments for easier eating later
  2. Sprinkle with rose or orange blossom water
  3. Add a little agave syrup or brown sugar if you like it sweet
  4. Grill until bubbling

Vegan dessert

  • A scoop of vanilla Swedish Glace vegan ice cream
  • A scattering of pomegranate seeds and chopped pistachios
  • A sprinkling of orange blossom water

Looks messy but colourful, tastes divine.