Make a tea of the leaves and use it as a hair rinse, or a final rinse for lingerie, or toss a bunch of them into your next bath, or use it as a face wash for normalising pH and for cleansing. Drink the tea to treat headache, digestive problems, liver and kidney disorders and menstrual problems.

Next time you make a plain cake, put some leaves in the bottom of your prepared pan, pour the batter over and cook as normal. The leaves will impart a subtle flavour through the cake, and leave a decorate pattern on top as well.

The following recipes will give you ideas on how to incorporate the leaves in recipes.

Couscous with Rose Geranium
1 1/2 cups couscous
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup sun-dried cherries, or currants or cranberries, chopped coarsely if large
2/3 cup dried apricots, slivered
2 1/2 cups just-boiling water or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 rose geranium leaves, minced (3-4 tablespoons)
1/3 cup lightly toasted pistachios or pine nuts
geranium leaves for garnish

Place the couscous in a heat-proof bowl. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, curry powder, turmeric, and cinnamon over the couscous, add the dried fruit, and toss to mix. Add the water or stock, olive oil, garlic, and chopped geranium leaves, stir to combine, and cover the bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Let stand for about 10 minutes, remove lid and use a large fork to fluff the couscous. Sprinkle the toasted nuts over the couscous just before serving, so that they keep their crunch. Garnish with some whole rose geranium leaves and/or flowers. Serve hot, or at room temperature.

Geranium Cream with Berries
1/3 cup double cream
2 or 3 rose-scented pelargonium leaves
350g cream cheese
4 tablespoons castor sugar
450g chilled berries such as raspberries, blueberries or strawberries
extra rose-scented leaves
castor sugar for serving

In the top of a double boiler gently heat the cream with the pelargonium leaves until just simmering. Do not allow to boil. Remove From the heat, cover and leave to cool. Strain the cream and gradually stir into the cheese until smooth. Add one or two fresh rose pelargonium leaves to the mixture. Cover and let stand in a cool place for 12 hours. Discard the pelargonium leaves and stir in the caster sugar. Spoon the cream into a mound on a serving plate. Surround with the berries. Serve extra castor sugar or rose geranium sugar for sprinkling over fruits separately.

Rice with Rose Geranium
125g rice
900ml milk
8 rose geranium leaves
30g coconut
60g flaked almonds
60g raisins
60g brown sugar

Combine the rice and milk in a saucepan, add 4 geranium leaves, cover and simmer very gently for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and take out the leaves. Heat oven to 190°C. Add coconut, almonds, raisins and sugar to the milk mixture, stir well. Transfer mixture to a 20cm ovenproof dish. Arrange remaining 4 geranium leaves across the top and bake for 45 minutes.

Rose Geranium and Almond Cake
125g castor sugar
2 eggs
60g melted cutter
125g self raising flour
pinch salt
60g ground almonds
4-5 rose geranium leaves
berry fruits (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
juice of 1/2 an orange
1-2 tablespoons sugar
whipped cream (if desired)

Butter a round cake tin and line with greaseproof paper. Lay geranium leaves on the bottom, stalk side uppermost. Beat castor sugar and eggs together until thick and light. Add butter, and mix in lightly. Sift the flour and salt together, and gently fold into the mixture. Fold in almonds. Pour over leaves in tin and bake at 180°C for 30-40 minutes until firm in the centre. Arrange layers of fruit in an attractive bowl, sprinkle with orange juice and sugar, stir gently and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. When cake is cooled, peel off greaseproof paper and leaves, and serve accompanied with the fruit and a little whipped cream if desired.

Rose Geranium Angel Cake
1 angel food cake, cut into 3 equal layers
orange juice
rose geranium jelly
vanilla ice cream, softened

Place the first layer of the angel food cake in an angel food cake (tube) pan. Lightly sprinkle the layer with orange juice. Spread a thin layer of Rose Geranium Jelly over the cake. Place the next layer atop the first. Sprinkle lightly with orange juice and spread thickly with ice cream. Add the last layer of cake. Sprinkle lightly with orange juice and spread with rose geranium jelly. Spread with ice cream. Put cake in freezer until ice cream hardens. Remove from freezer and gently unmould onto a serving plate. Spread ice cream over the entire cake and return to freezer until ice cream hardens. Serve garnished with rose geranium petals

Rose Geranium Jelly:
600ml apple jelly
1/2 cup rose geranium petals

Heat the apple jelly over a low heat until it turns liquid. Add the rose geranium petals and stir. Remove from heat and pour jelly into a jar. Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate. Delicious heated and drizzled over vanilla ice cream or plain pound cake. Use within 2 weeks.

Rose Geranium Biscuits
125g butter
1 egg
3 chopped rose geranium leaves
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter, sugar and geranium leaves in a food processor. Add egg, sifted flour and salt, mix well. Put small spoonfuls on a greased oven tray and bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes.

Rose Geranium Cream
300ml cream
250g cream cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
3 rose (or other) scented geranium leaves

Add the sugar and geranium leaves to the cream and heat very gently without boil until the cream is completely heated through. Leave to cool. Stir in the cream cheese and leave in the fridge, covered, overnight. Remove the leaves before serving and mix the cream thoroughly to make it smooth. It goes well with acidic fruits such as blackberries.

Rose Geranium Ice Cream
6–8 medium-sized rose geranium leaves
3 cups double cream
6 egg yolks
310g castor sugar
pinch of salt
2–3 drops red food colouring (optional)
rose petals and geranium leaves, to decorate (optional)

Place the leaves and cream in a saucepan. Heat to just below boiling point, then set aside, off the heat, to infuse for 30 minutes. Place the egg yolks, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk until the mixture is pale and leaves a trail when the whisk is lifted. Strain the cream slowly into the egg mixture, whisking as you pour. Add red food colouring, if wished. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Cool, stirring From time to time. Pour the mixture into a plastic freezer container, then freeze until hard to a depth of 2cm round the edges. Turn into a chilled bowl, whisk until smooth, then quickly return to the freezer. Repeat at least once more. Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving, to soften slightly. Transfer to serving bowls and decorate, if wished, with fresh rose petals and geranium leaves.

Savoury Herb Jelly
2kg tart cooking apples or crab apples, roughly chopped
900ml water
300ml wine vinegar
good handful of fresh herbs
360g sugar per 600ml juice

Boil the apples with the water and vinegar. Add the herbs and simmer. Cook until the apples are soft. Strain through muslin overnight. Measure the juice, return to the saucepan and add the sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then boil until setting point is reached, taking care not to let it boil over. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars and add a few leaves as decoration if desired. Store in a cool, dark cupboard. Suitable herbs are Basil, Mint, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Thyme.

A sweet jelly may be made in the same way, but instead of vinegar, substitute 1 litre of water. Suitable herbs for sweet jellies are Bergamot, Calendula, Lavender flowers, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Scented Geranium leaves (Rose, Apple, Peppermint, Lemon, Lime), Violet.

Rose Geranium Self Saucing Pudding
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon rose geranium sugar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 large rose geranium leaves

Beat egg yolks until foamy. Mix in peel and sugars. Add alternately: milk, flour, lemon juice. Fold in stiffly beaten whites. Butter a two litre casserole. Put leaves in the bottom and pour in batter. Place in a deep pan of water and bake at 180°C for 1 hour. Cake will be on top and a thick sauce underneath.

Rose Geranium Muffins
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup rose geranium sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon rosewater
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup rose geranium petals

Sift together flour and baking powder, cut in butter. Mix sugar and salt with petals. Add egg, milk, rosewater and vanilla. Pour mixture into flour mixture. Mix well until blended. Spoon into greased muffin tins (or tiny glazed flower-pots) and bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes or until done. Turn out onto a wire rack to cook, brushing with rose jelly or jam while still hot. Serve with more rose jelly or jam.