Lavender is a Mediterranean shrub of the mint family whose flowers bring a floral, resinous note to shortbread, honey, custards and lamb. Use culinary English lavender, in small amounts.
What it is¶
Lavender is an evergreen, aromatic shrub of the mint family, related to rosemary, thyme and sage. It is grown mostly for its scent and its essential oil, but its flowers have a long history as a kitchen herb. Used well, lavender gives a sweet, floral, slightly resinous perfume to baking, desserts, honey and roast meats. Used badly, it makes food taste of soap.
The species matters:
| Species | Common name | Kitchen use |
|---|---|---|
| Lavandula angustifolia | English or true lavender | Best for cooking; sweet and floral. Varieties include 'Munstead' and 'Hidcote'. |
| Lavandula × intermedia | Lavandin | Much more camphorous; mostly grown for oil. Use sparingly, if at all. |
| Lavandula stoechas | French or Spanish lavender | Very camphorous and resinous; not recommended for cooking. |
Confusingly, "French lavender" means L. stoechas in Britain, but L. dentata in some other countries.
Origins and history¶
Lavender is native to the western Mediterranean, and it was used by the Romans for scenting baths and linen; its name is often derived from the Latin lavare, "to wash", though this etymology is disputed. It spread through physic and monastery gardens and became a much-loved plant in medieval and Tudor England.
In the 16th and 17th centuries it was used in the kitchen as a conserve, in sweetmeats and in dishes of meat and game, and English cookbooks of the period mention it. By the 18th and 19th centuries its main use had shifted to perfume; Mitcham in Surrey was famous for lavender oil, and Norfolk has been an important centre of lavender growing since the 20th century.
Lavender is often included in herbes de provence sold outside France, especially in North America, but it is generally considered a late 20th-century addition rather than a traditional Provençal ingredient.
Flavour and aroma¶
English lavender tastes floral and sweet, with notes of citrus, mint and rosemary and a slight bitterness. The main aroma compounds are linalool (floral, also found in coriander seed) and linalyl acetate (fruity, floral). Lavandin and French lavender have much more camphor, which gives a medicinal, soapy edge.
Dried lavender is about three times stronger than fresh. The single commonest mistake is using too much.
In the kitchen¶
The rule is less than you think. Start with ½–1 tsp dried culinary lavender (or 1–2 tsp fresh) for a recipe for four to six, taste, and adjust next time.
- Shortbread and biscuits. Grind 1 tsp dried lavender with the sugar for a batch of shortbread made with 150 g flour.
- Custards, ice cream and panna cotta. Infuse ½–1 tsp dried buds in 500 ml warm milk or cream for 10–15 minutes off the heat, then strain.
- Sugar and syrups. Bury a tablespoon of dried buds in a jar of caster sugar for a week and sieve out before use. Lavender syrup is used in lemonade and cocktails.
- Honey. Warm honey gently with a little lavender, then strain; it is lovely with goat's cheese or fruit.
- Lamb. A little lavender, mixed with rosemary, garlic and thyme, makes a rub for roast lamb.
- Fruit. Lavender pairs well with apricots, peaches, blueberries, strawberries and lemon.
⚠️ Soap alert
If lavender tastes soapy, there is too much of it, it has been cooked too long, or it is the wrong species. Infuse and strain rather than leaving buds in, and grind finely if they stay in the dish.
Buying and storing¶
Buy lavender sold as culinary or food-grade, from spice merchants and delis. Ornamental lavender and lavender from florists or craft shops may have been treated with pesticides not approved for food use.
Store dried buds in an airtight jar away from light and heat, and use within a year. Fresh flower spikes keep for a few days in water. To dry your own, cut stems as the first flowers open, hang in bunches in a dark, airy place, then rub off the buds. See drying herbs.
Substitutes¶
In savoury cooking, rosemary or thyme give a similar resinous note. In sweet dishes, a few drops of rose water or orange flower water give a different floral note; a little vanilla is a softer alternative. Herbes de provence can include lavender already.
Pairs well with¶
Honey, lemon, vanilla, white and dark chocolate, cream and goat's cheese, apricots, peaches, blueberries and strawberries, lamb and duck, rosemary, thyme, fennel seed and black tea.
Growing your own¶
Lavender needs sun and sharp drainage. Given those, it is long-lived and easy.
- Position. Full sun and poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soil, ideally slightly alkaline. It rots in wet, heavy soil; add grit or grow in raised beds or pots.
- Choosing. For cooking, grow L. angustifolia varieties such as 'Munstead', 'Hidcote' or 'Folgate'. They are fully hardy in Britain.
- Pruning. Prune every year, just after flowering in late summer: cut back to about 2–3 cm above the old wood, leaving some green shoots. Never cut into bare, old wood, which rarely regrows. Unpruned plants become leggy and woody within a few years.
- Propagation. Take softwood cuttings in early summer, or semi-ripe cuttings in late summer.
- Harvesting. Cut flower stems for cooking when the buds have coloured but before they are fully open.