It's fair to say that in this day and age of cooking, the importance of how a dish looks has never been so well understood. But while they're obviously pretty, edible flowers aren't just there to add colour to your dish and get you more Instagram likes – they add extra flavour and texture, too.

Courgette flowers are synonymous with Italian cuisine and are incredibly versatile, holding up well to stuffing and deep-frying, as well as in salads. Alessandro Gavagna sautés his in a simple salad of Courgette flower, apple and horseradish, whilst Eugenio Boer uses the petals individually to garnish her Deep-fried calf's brain with lemon kimchi and courgette flowers. Wild flowers make a fantastic garnish for pasta dishes too. Lorenzo Cogo brings his Ravioli with garden trimmings dish to life with delicate chamomile flowers, whilst Aurora Mazzucchelli uses aromatic lavender in her Tortelli with Parmesan, lavender, nutmeg and almond.

For more inventive ideas, just scroll down for our full collection of edible flower recipes.