Desdemona Freeman of Petals of the Valley

In the summer of 2013, Petals of the Valley was born when Desdemona freeman (below, left) was inspired to grow roses and distil them on her clay-rich farm in the lush hills of Wales. Joined by her friend Denise Jones, she launched the uk’s only home-produced rosewater at the abergavenny food festival two years later. tell us about rosewater as a culinary ingredient…

rosewater has been a classic of British cooking for centuries, and old favourites, such as rose-petal jam and rose and violet creams have seen a revival recently. and thanks to yotam ottolenghi’s middle-eastern inspired menus, rosewater is now popular in savoury dishes, too. What’s so special about your rosewater? fragrant roses grown in the uk have a unique, fresh scent and this is captured in our rosewater. it also tastes delicious helped by the fact that we batch distil in the traditional way and don’t use chemical sprays or preservatives. there are only two ingredients: rose petals (fragrant Rosa x damascena)

and our own spring water. a lot of the rosewaters on the market are just water with a bit of rose oil added or have synthetic flavourings.

What’s your favourite serving suggestion? rosewater pavlova with raspberries and cream. the secret is to spritz the meringue with rosewater just before serving. in savoury dishes, rosewater goes especially well with lamb and chicken in biryanis and tagines.

What about drinks? it’s fabulous in cocktails, martinis, champagne and very refreshing in sparkling water.

Welsh rosewater, £19 for 100ml. Contact 01600 750294, petalsof thevalley. co.uk.