These look lovely and taste delicious, either as a cake decoration or on a plate as a centrepiece with desert or coffee. Use edible organically grown roses that are highly scented — otherwise, you won’t get the taste. Gum Arabic powder is available from good chemists. (You will need a pair of vinyl or latex gloves.)

10 roses (organically grown)
50g gum Arabic powder
100g egg whites (about 3 medium eggs)
300g caster sugar

Separate the petals by carefully removing the base of a flower head with a pair of scissors. Blitz the gum Arabic powder and egg whites together into a smooth paste with a hand blender. Be prepared to make more of the white mix if necessary; you may find you run out the first time you make crystallised rose petals, as it takes a bit of practise.

Pour the caster sugar into a tray and spread evenly.

Put on the gloves and take one rose petal, dip a finger into the gum Arabic/egg-white mix and spread carefully — but not too thickly — over the whole petal.

Dip both sides of the petal into the sugar, then place it on a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Do the same with all the petals.

Leave them on the tray to dry overnight (anywhere they will not be subjected to moisture will do), then place in an airtight container.

Store in a cool, dry place; they should keep for several weeks.

Times Recommends

• How to season a wok
• Chicago Rib Shack hits back at its critics
• Gordon Ramsay: Indian barbecue