How to crystallise flowers like the Victorians

The sight of spring flowers is Jill Fade’s signal to get to work. Her crystallised flowers, from which she has developed a small business, are perfect for giving the wow factor to cakes and chocolates.

At this time of year she is busy outside picking primroses, violas and violets from pots and borders around her home in Chulmleigh, Devon. Each one is then carefully painted with egg white and dusted with sugar before being left to dry and harden.

Jill discovered the Victorian art of crystallising edible flowers almost a decade ago and went on to spend several years perfecting her technique before launching her business, Meadowsweet Flowers.

Since then, people have not been able to get enough of her delicate creations, which she sells through her website and at craft and food fairs.

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^{A crystallised flower looks a treat on a cake (Lynn Keddie)}

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“People often mistake them for sugar craft - it’s only when they inspect them closely that they realise they’re real flowers,” says Jill.

“In fact, they are more special than sugar craft because they’re totally natural and contain no colourings or flavourings. I often put out a saucer of broken petals for people to try: they taste of sugar and dried grass, although lavender has a taste of its own.”

Jill’s devotion to her craft is such that almost all of the plants in her garden are chosen on the basis of being edible and looking good after they have been crystallised.

Alongside her spring favourites, she grows cornflowers, lavender, borage and pelargonium to see her through summer.

Jill, who used to work in film production, came up with the idea of making crystallised flowers while researching various options for running a business from her home.

Initially, she had been thinking about growing edible flowers to sell to restaurants. However, while reading a book on the subject she found a chapter on crystallising - a technique that first became popular during Victorian times when sugar first started to appear in granulated form.

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^{Violas and pansies look pretty crystalised (Lynn Keddie)}

“It was the sort of thing they used to do in the big houses,” says Jill. “A lot of older people tell me that they used to do it with violets.”

Jill has experimented with all sorts of flowers over the years, with varying results. “Day lilies and entire roses are too fleshy, although I’ve found that double pelargonium flowers make good substitutes for roses,” she says.

“Black or red pansies don’t work because you end up with a black blob. And white rose petals simply go grey. I’ve tried marjoram and sage leaves, but they lose their colour.”

Among Jill’s best-sellers are cornflowers, which come in a wide range of colours and can last for up to a year, and violas.

“With flowers such as violas and pansies, I look closely at their faces: I especially like the ones with cat’s whiskers,” she says.

“If they haven’t got a good face on them, I’m wasting my time.

“I often find myself buying plants because I think they will look good crystallised, although I also buy things that will look pretty in my borders.”

Jill can create between 20 and 30 crystallised flowers an hour, picking just a few blooms at a time to ensure they are absolutely fresh when the preserving process begins. She believes a lot of people are put off from doing it themselves because the process can become messy.

“It’s quite time-consuming, fiddly and sticky and there’s been a lot of trial and error involved in getting the technique right,” she says.

“I love it because doing this means I am always looking closely at the flowers I grow in my garden and I never cease to be amazed at how beautiful they are. In a way it’s like a meditation. No flower is the same - each one is unique.”

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^{Crystallising flowers is a simple process, but tricky to get right (Lynn Keddie)}

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How to do it

Crystallising flowers is an easy process, although, as Jill has found, it takes a lot of experimentation, practice and patience to get right.

Ingredients are simple – egg whites and castor sugar.

1. Take the egg white and whisk it lightly to break up the albumen. Use a fine brush to paint the egg white on to the front and back of flowers. Ensure every surface is coated, including the area between petals.
2. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the wet petals and place flower face down on greaseproof paper.
3. Leave flowers to dry for about 24 hours – thicker blooms, such as cornflowers, may need longer. The petals harden as the egg white and sugar dry.

Good flowers to try

Borage, dianthus, cornflowers, lavender, mint leaves, pansies, pelargonium, primroses, rose petals, sweet cecily leaves, violas, violets.

For further information visit Meadowsweet Flowers