With all eyes on London's Chelsea for the annual flower show this week, local restaurants are going all-out to get customers' stomachs there, too. The bid to get visitors to eat in the spirit of the festival sees flowers sprouting on menus across the capital.
The show, which started in 1852 and moved to its current site in 1912, attracts 157,000 visitors per year, so it's no surprise that nearby chefs are using it as a great excuse to get a little green-fingered.
For those wanting a gentle introduction to edible horticulture, Claridge's is offering pastries and cakes that either look like flowers, taste like flowers or are made with flowers, as part of their Chelsea-themed afternoon tea (£39.50, including a glass of Champagne). The Renaissance Chancery Court hotel is also offering some blooming good cakes, including violet and cassis macaroons, jasmine and raisin ganache and orange blossom and marzipan Bretons (afternoon tea £18.50). Chelsea buns and scones with strawberry and rose jam are also available.
Alexis Gauthier, executive chef at the Roussillon restaurant, is serving up tofu and violet millefeuille, soy sauce and acacia honey dressing; jasmine and dandelion sorbet; and chrysanthemum soufflé with wild flower biscuits. His floral-themed menu is priced at £60 per person and is available throughout the show.
Other restaurants near the Royal Hospital are also turning to the garden for inspiration. The Cheyne Walk Brasserie is offering dishes featuring borage, calendula, lavender, rose petals and violets in its "garden menu" (£15).
Meanwhile, the aptly named Red Carnation hotel group is offering a bouquet of treats to flower show visitors. The Milestone in Kensington and Egerton House in Knightsbridge are offering accommodation, show tickets, a picnic basket, garden book voucher, taxi fare from the hotel to the show and a glass of Champagne from £379 per night.
And finally, Champagne house Laurent-Perrier has created its own French-inspired garden at this year's show, in collaboration with designer Jinny Blom. To mark the occasion the company has crowned Oxo bar manager Silviu Stan's Pink Chelsea as the best floral Champagne infusion. It is available throughout May at all Harvey Nichols bars.
By Alix Young