Fond of chives? Try their flowers too for a slightly milder flavour

Chives grow for much of the year and you may be already inhaling the slightly garlicky smell of the plant in your garden or on your windowsill. They can be used in numerous ways, perfect in butter to jazz up a baked potato, say, or garnish a salad.

But how about its purple flowers?

You can in fact eat these too, though all too often, people discard the blossoms.

"Chives are one of the herbs whose flowers are edible," says Daniela Krehl, nutrition expert at the Bavarian Consumer Advice Centre. There's no need to just use the stalk and skip the blossom.

For anyone who finds the taste of the stalk a bit too strong, the purple flowers are a perfect alternative as they have a much more delicate flavour, milder than that of the stalks.

That makes them perfect as a garnish for salads or sandwiches, Krehl says. Plus, their colour makes the flowers a great decorative element too.

Alongside people, insects like bees and bumblebees also like the flowers and any flowering herbs you have on your balcony or in your garden are a much-needed source of food for them.

"Leave a few flowers for the bugs and enjoy the rest in your own kitchen," says Krehl. There's something for everyone that way.