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Baking with Lavender, Brendan Maye, Emma's Lavender and Lemon Shortbread, Lavender biscuits, Lavender gifts, Lavender recipes, Mayfield Lavender, SurreyKitchen
I was inspired to make lavender shortbread after going to see the purple spectacle at Mayfield farm in Ewell last week. The family run farm grows lavender organically with no chemical fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides and was awarded Soil Association status in 2009.
Mayfield Lavender began when Brendan Maye was Managing Director of the fine fragrance division of Wella UK. He believed that consumers needed to see the beauty of lavender to accept it as a relevant fragrance for today, and decided to buy a farm and revive lavender growing under the Yardley brand in Surrey, its traditional home in England.
However in 2005 his dream fell apart when Yardley was sold and the acquiring company had no interest in sponsoring Brendan’s lavender program. He worked hard to raise sponsorship himself so that the project did not die away. Brendan then had to face the dilemma of farming 25 acres of organic lavender while carrying on with his day job.
Luckily Brendan’s wife Lorna came to the rescue by quickly learning how to manage and harvest lavender, as well as all the logistics of coordinating the distillation and the product sales from field.
The couple now work together to nurture the organic management of Mayfield Lavender. Both Brendan and Lorna are very proud that the field sits on the exact site where lavender was grown in the 18th and 19th century.
Mayfield Lavender provides a stunning location for photo opportunities where you can walk freely through the plants. You are allowed to bring dogs. As you can see from the slide show my mum and dad’s gorgeous cocker spaniel Toby had a great day running up and down the rows of lavender. A bit like a dog version of a water slide.
There is a tea stall selling a range of lavender products from bread and ice cream to lemonade and cupcakes that you can enjoy during your visit. The shop sells a range of lavender gifts including, soap, candles, hand cream, oils, wreaths and plants. Perfect if you are looking for a quirky gift for someone that can not be found anywhere else. Mayfield’s lavender soap beats any I have ever bought before, even in Paris. It is the kind of soap that scents the whole bathroom. You can order soap or any of the other gifts from the Mayfield Lavender website.
The farm will not be harvested until September to allow people time to enjoy the spectacular views.
My Lavender and Lemon shortbread is a good twist to a very traditional recipe that is perfect for afternoon tea in the garden this summer. The lemon and lavender are nicely balanced without being overpowering. Together these flavours give the shortbread a unique flavour that is totally irresistible.
Makes approx 15 biscuits
Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
125g caster sugar
2 tsp fresh, unsprayed finely chopped lavender leaves
225g unsalted butter
300g plain flour
50 g ground rice
Half a lemon
Preparation Method:
1) To make the lavender sugar mix the caster sugar with the finely chopped lavender leaves in a bowl.
2) Line two large baking trays with baking paper and preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas4.
3) Cream butter and lavender sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
4) Add the flour, juice of half a lemon and ground rice to the mixture and stir thoroughly until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5) With floured hands, work the mixture together to form a smooth dough.
6) Tip onto a lightly toured work top and knead until the dough is smooth. Chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.
7) Roll the dough out to a 5mm thickness, and cut out biscuits using a heart-shaped cutter (or cutter of your choice).
8) Place the hearts onto the baking trays, and sprinkle with a little extra lavender sugar.
9) Leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
10) Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges. Place the biscuits on a wire rack, sprinkle with extra sugar and leave to cool completely.
11) Serve in the garden with tea or coffee. Delicious!
Such pretty pictures – I love lavender. Your recipe sounds like a winner too.
Have a wonderful week ahead.
🙂 Mandy xo
Thank you Mandy. The lavender and lemon shortbread is definitely a winner in my humble opinion. I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures. Take care. Emma.
Lovely photos and the combination of shortbread,lemon and lavender sounds very yummy. 🙂
Thank you for your kind comments. I hope you have a great week. Emma.
The garden’s full of lavender at the moment…I love it
Thanks Roger. The scent of lavender is fantastic isn’t it. I visited the Imperial War Museum in London with my father on Friday and they had rows and rows of lavender in the front gardens. It was a hot day with a gentle breeze so the smell as you went in and out of the front gates was wonderful. Mayfield Lavender sell some of the best soap I have ever bought. The kind that scents the whole bathroom. Emma.
Great photos! Unfortunately they don’t lavender fields like that here, too hot. We did go to a wonderful lavender field in Oregon two years ago and loved it. This shortbread looks wonderful, the perfect summer tea treat.
Thank you. I am so glad you enjoyed the post. I bet the lavender in Oregon was stunning. Where do you live? Have a great week. Emma.
I live in South Carolina, in the southern United States. It is extremely hot and humid here in the summer!
Wow! That’s a bit different to our climate here in Surrey in the U.K. Ive visited the US once – Texas and Los Angeles. Would like to see more of the states one day. Take care. Emma.
Bonsoir, merci pour ces jolies photos, la recette, et l’idée de la lavande.
Il est important qu’elle soit préservée des produits chimiques et autres, n’est-ce pas ?
Je mets toujours des sachets de lavande séchée sous l’oreiller…
Caresses pour chat, chien si gentils !
Amicalement
My God ! J’ai été élevée avec la Lavande Yardley … et, may I say, one of our poodles, the black one, was called ” Yardley ” ! ( Mais j’utilise toujours le talc Yardley) .
Fantastic name for a poodle. I am glad you enjoyed the photos and the post. Mayfield is a beautiful place to visit and they sell the best lavender soap I have ever bought. It scents the whole bathroom. Have a great week. Emma xx
Bonjour emmabarrett – Yardley was a loving and lovely poodle.
I shall gve the addresse of M
Poodles are gorgeous. Mu uncle has a black labradoodle called Marmite and he is beautiful too. Take care. Emma.
Coupé ! … so I shall give the very nice address to my friend in Yorkshire.
Do have an good summer week.
Yes I’ve added a link to Mayfield Lavender in the post so I hope your friend in Yorkshire enjoys it too. Emma
Merci beaucoup pour the link.
Mon amie du Yorkshire doit être rentrée de ses vacances, et certainly ready for discovering laveder fields, and soap.
O YUUUM !!!! I am deffo making these !!!! How delicious !
They really are delicious, especially with a mug of tea. Enjoy! Have a great week. Emma.
What glorious pictures of lavender fields Emma! Lavender is hands down, one of my absolute favorite scents. My parents and I visited a lavender museum when we were in Provence one summer and I was in heaven 🙂 These shortbread cookies look delicious and I like the combination of lemon and lavender… simply divine!
Thank you Heather. Mayfield is a stunning place to visit and they sell the best lavender soap I have ever bought. It scents the whole bathroom. Divine! You should definitely try the recipe at home. You won’t be disappointed. Emma.
I love these photos…and the dog is soo adorable! Is he/she a Springer Spaniel or Cocker Spaniel? I wish I could get my hand on some fresh lavender to make these!
Toby is a cocker spaniel and he’s so affectionate. When he stays with us he follows me everywhere, even into the bathroom. You could use dried lavender in the recipe instead if you are able to get some. Take care. Emma.
Interesting use of lavender leaves. I’ve always used the unopened buds of the flower – so fleeting a moment when they are ready to pick. So, this really lets you extend the lavender baking season. The shortbread looks gorgeous and I bet they smelled heavenly. Interesting also as I have Wella products on my shelves!
It’s just a different way of making lavender sugar. But you are right it does extend the lavender baking season. The shortbread did make the kitchen smell wonderful. Take care. Emma.
Love the flavour of lavender and this shortbread of yours looks fantabulous. …yum yum…
I love the word fantabulous. You should definitely try this recipe at home. The short bread is delicious. You will not be disappointed. Take care. Emma.
This sounds absolutely wonderful-cannot wait to try this out!
Try the recipe. It is so simple and I promise you won’t be disappointed. My family are already asking for more lavender and lemon shortbread. Emma.
What a beautiful place! And I’m surprised you can bring dogs. Mine would love it. And it’s great that their dream came true.
Mayfield lavender is stunning. You should take your dogs there if you get a chance. They sell the best lavender soap I have ever bought in my life. Emma.
OMG this post is stunning. The shortbread cookies look so delicious too. This is my kind of eating. Your photography is just gorgeous.
Thank you for your kind comments. You should try the recipe at home. It is very simple and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Take care. Emma.
It’s lovely to read about a lavender farm where organic farming methods are use. I would love to walk through it and drink in the glorious scent of the plants. Your shortbread looks delicious, I wish I had one to eat with a cup of tea. 😉
Mayfield Lavender is a stunning place to visit. You should try the lavender and lemon shortbread recipe at home. It is very simple and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Perfect with a nice cup of tea. Emma.
Fantastic recipe and so pretty. Lavender, shortbread, lemon….a perfect trio of flavors. Lovely.
these look great. I will have to try them gluten free!
Gorgeous blog Emma! I’m so glad you invited me to check out your lavender lemon shortbread recipe! I’ve used lavender flowers in baking before not the leaves. The photography at the farm is simply spectacular…I thought I was in the South of France! Who knew lavender could grow so well in the UK too? We have a lavender farm nearby and you’ve motivated me to go back before the harvest.
Beautiful pictures, I love lavender 🙂
How beautiful! And I love how this family runs their farm. If only everyone was like-minded.
Nice idea, adding lavender to cookies!
Ohh!! How lovely!! I have never tried lavender shortbread before but this is so tempting!! Can’t wait to try.. 😀
Thank you for visiting my blog. I am sure you will enjoy the lavender and lemon shortbread. Take care. Emma.
Lovely post. Thanks for the reminder about lavender. I get caught up with routine in the kitchen and forget about the simple yet less common, like lavender. As shortbread with tea, sounds like Sunday breakfast this week. 🙂
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