Rose Petal Syrup and Rose and Sesame Spread- vegan

Because I used brown sugar the syrup is brownish in colour; using white sugar would mean it comes out the colour of the roses you use- in this case, that would've meant bright pink.

I wanted to make rose petal jam, but rather than following my instinct, I used instructions from a website which just didn't work at all and I was left with jam which wouldn't set. But never mind- I sloshed in a little rose water to make the flavour even more intense and bottled the stuff up to use as syrup. It's great to drizzle over cake or icecream! I also discovered that 2 parts rose syrup to 3 parts tahini makes a delectable spread.
It was a revelation to me to learn that all roses are edible; but the old-fashioned floribunda or double roses with the strongest scent are the best to cook with. Luckily we have 2 wonderfully fragrant bright pink climbing roses in the garden and these were just perfect; I was amazed at how much flavour they gave even before I added the rosewater! So far I have used these roses, plus courgette flowers in a salad and pansies to garnish a cake, and I think I'll be cooking with flowers a lot more this Summer. What's your favourite edible flower? We'd love to know what it is and what you use it for.

Makes about 2 jars
50g fresh rose petals, washed
500g sugar (make sure if you use white sugar it's from beet not cane, as white cane sugar is refined using bone charcoal)
2 tabs liquid pectin
2 tabs lime juice (or lemon)
1 tab rosewater (optional)
water

• Blend the rose petals and sugar together in a blender or food processor, then add the lime juice and 80ml water.
• Boil the pectin for about a minute with 170ml water.
• Add this to the rose mixture.
• Stir in the rose water.
• Keep in the fridge. It's best to make the tahini-rose spread as you need it.