EDIBLE &
FOOD-SAFE FLOWERS
BEAUTIFUL SEASONAL FLOWERS, GROWN AND SOURCED SPECIFICALLY FOR WEDDING CAKES
FLOWERS & WEDDING CAKES
Fresh flowers can look beautiful on a wedding cake, but choosing flowers for food is a little different from choosing flowers for floristry. Not every flower that looks beautiful in a bouquet is suitable for use on a cake — and whether a flower is safe isn't determined by the variety alone.
Some popular wedding flowers are toxic or contain compounds that make them unsuitable for contact with food. Even flowers from edible species need to have been grown, treated and handled appropriately for use with food. Flowers grown for the floristry trade may have been treated with pesticides or other chemicals that aren't intended for edible crops, so I don't use ordinary florist flowers simply because the species itself happens to be edible.
For that reason, I only use fresh flowers and foliage that I'm satisfied are suitable for use with food. Many are grown by me here in Falmouth, with additional flowers sourced from specialist growers when needed.
“Edible” describes the plant. “Food-safe” also depends on how it has been grown, treated and handled.
NOT EVERY BEAUTIFUL
FLOWER BELONGS ON A CAKE
Many of the flowers and foliage commonly used in wedding floristry are not suitable for direct contact with food. Some are toxic or harmful if eaten, while others contain irritating sap, pollen or other compounds that simply don't belong on something you're going to eat.
Unfortunately, putting an unsuitable flower into a flower pick, wrapping the stem in tape or coating it in wax doesn't make the flower itself food-safe. These methods may prevent the cut stem from entering the cake, but the petals, leaves and pollen can still come into contact with the surface.
For this reason, I won't use a flower on one of my cakes simply because it's commonly seen on wedding cakes. If I'm not satisfied that it's suitable for use with food, it doesn't go on the cake.
COMMON WEDDING FLOWERS I WON'T USE
Some of the flowers and foliage most commonly used in wedding floristry are also regularly seen on wedding cakes, despite not being suitable for direct contact with food.
This isn't an exhaustive list. If a flower or foliage isn't suitable for use with food, I won't use it — even if it's being used elsewhere in your wedding.
HYDRANGEA & GYPSOPHILA
Both are enormously popular in wedding floristry — and regularly appear on cakes. Neither is something I will place in direct contact with food. Hydrangea contains compounds that make it unsuitable for consumption, while gypsophila can cause irritation and is not an edible flower.
DELPHINIUM, RANUNCULUS & ANEMONE
Beautiful spring and summer wedding flowers, but not cake decorations. Delphiniums are toxic if eaten, while ranunculus and anemones contain irritating compounds and are not suitable for direct contact with food.
EUCALYPTUS
& LILIES
Eucalyptus may be everywhere in wedding floristry, but it isn't an edible foliage. Some species contain potentially harmful compounds, including cyanogenic compounds, and eucalyptus grown for floristry is not produced as a food crop. It therefore stays well away from my cakes.
Many lilies and lily-like wedding flowers are also toxic or otherwise unsuitable for contact with food, so these belong in your floristry rather than on your cake.
SO, WHAT CAN I HAVE ON MY WEDDING CAKE?
Choosing flowers that are suitable for use with food doesn't mean giving up on a beautiful, abundant floral wedding cake. There is a wonderful range of edible and food-safe flowers available throughout the growing season, with different colours, shapes and textures appearing as the seasons change.
Depending on the time of year, I grow and source a wide range of edible and food-safe flowers specifically for use on my wedding cakes, including roses, yarrow, sweet rocket, nigella, sea holly, cosmos, marigolds, African daisies, zinnias, stocks and snapdragons, alongside many others.
Some are edible, while others are non-toxic flowers used purely for decoration. What matters is that I know exactly what I'm using, how it has been grown and treated, and that it is suitable for its intended use on the cake.
The varieties and colours available naturally change throughout the growing season, giving me a constantly changing palette of flowers to work with. Even more difficult colours can often be found safely — nigella, for example, gives me a beautiful true blue without reaching for unsuitable florist flowers such as delphiniums.
Rather than trying to recreate your florist's arrangements flower for flower, I can use these to create something that works with your wedding colours and overall floral style while still being completely at home on a cake.
Beautiful wedding flowers don't need to come at the expense of food safety.
FROM SEED
Many of the flowers I use begin here. Each year I grow a changing selection of edible and food-safe flowers from seed, choosing varieties for their colour, shape, season and how beautifully they work on cakes
GROWN IN FALMOUTH
The flowers are grown in my own garden in Falmouth, without the ornamental treatments used on many commercially grown cut flowers. Growing them myself means I know exactly what they are, how they've been grown and what they've been exposed to.
TO YOUR
WEDDING CAKE
During the growing season, flowers can be picked especially for your cake — often just before I leave for your wedding — so they arrive beautifully fresh and ready to become part of the finished design.
GROWN FOR YOUR CAKE
I grow many of the flowers used on my wedding cakes here in my own garden in Falmouth. Growing them myself gives me control over what I grow, how it's treated and how it's handled — something that's particularly important when flowers are going to come into contact with food.
Plants and the natural world were part of my life long before wedding cakes were. Before starting Red Robin Pantry, I studied ecology and conservation, including a Master's degree in Conservation and Biodiversity. That background has definitely followed me into my work: I love growing unusual varieties, understanding what I'm working with and finding ways to bring a little of the natural world into my cake designs.
Of course, one Cornish garden can't produce every flower, colour and quantity I might need for every wedding. When I need something I can't grow myself, I source additional flowers from specialist growers who grow specifically for culinary use, so I know their provenance and that they're suitable for their intended use.
WORKING WITH THE SEASONS
Using flowers grown specifically for cakes means working with the seasons rather than ordering from a fixed list of varieties all year round.
Spring brings delicate flowers and softer colours, summer gives me the greatest abundance and variety, while late summer and autumn bring their own richer colours, textures and shapes. Exactly what's available will depend on the weather and the growing season that year.
I also dry suitable flowers throughout the growing season, allowing me to carry some of those colours and textures into winter weddings and to combine fresh and dried flowers where they work beautifully together.
I don't promise particular flower varieties months in advance. Instead, we design around your colour palette, overall style and the season, choosing from the best fresh and food-safe dried flowers available when your wedding arrives.
It means no two floral wedding cakes are ever quite the same.
WILL MY CAKE MATCH MY WEDDING FLOWERS?
Absolutely — but it doesn't need to use exactly the same flowers to feel beautifully connected to the rest of your wedding.
When we're designing your cake, I can work from your florist's plans, colour palette or inspiration images, taking cues from the colours, shapes, textures and overall style of your wedding flowers. Where the exact varieties aren't suitable for use on a cake, I'll choose edible or food-safe alternatives that complement them.
For example, nigella can bring those beautiful vibrant blues without using delphiniums; stocks and snapdragons can provide the tall floral spires found elsewhere in your arrangements; and olive leaves, rosemary and sage can bring soft green foliage to a design without reaching for eucalyptus. The exact alternatives will, of course, depend on the season and what's available.
The aim isn't to copy your bouquet flower for flower — it's for your cake to look as though it belongs beautifully within the same wedding.
I supply and prepare the flowers used on my cakes myself, so there's no need to ask your florist to provide additional stems for the cake. I'm always happy to work alongside their designs when planning yours.
OTHER WAYS TO BRING FLOWERS TO YOUR CAKE
Real flowers aren't the only way to bring your wedding floristry into your cake design. Flowers that aren't suitable for use on food can still provide beautiful inspiration.
HAND PAINTED FLOWERS
Hand-painting gives us complete freedom to take inspiration from your wedding flowers without placing the flowers themselves on the cake. I can recreate particular botanical details, echo the colours and shapes of your floristry, or include varieties that simply aren't suitable for use as fresh cake decoration.
Painted details can form the focus of the whole design or be combined with real edible and food-safe flowers for something more layered and individual.
FLOWERS FOR YOUR WEDDING CAKES
Whether you're imagining a cake covered in seasonal flowers, just a few delicate botanical details, or a design inspired by your wedding floristry, we can create something that feels completely at home within your day.
When you enquire, tell me a little about your wedding, your colour palette and the flowers you're planning. We can then explore what's in season and how best to bring those ideas into your cake safely and beautifully.