London-based perfumer Louise Bloor has a slightly unusual job. She combines her passion for creating new fragrances with her love of food. Essentially, Louise has created a supper club where guests can enjoy a 5 course set menu in her Dalston flat in the UK for a minimum contribution of £30. And, you can BYO – not a bad deal at all, and a chance to try something totally new and unique.

How does it work?

Louise uses scents to enhance the taste and experience of the food at her supper clubs. Dishes include: Baba ghanoush, gazpacho sprayed with cucumber perfume, beetroot shots served with an aniseed spray, jasmine-scented meringues or orange blossom and rosemary ice cream. And the fragrances are not just limited to the food itself. Louise also uses smoke-infused cutlery to enhance the flavour/smell experience.

So can you use any scent or essential oil to get a similar result?

In short, the answer is NO. Not all oils are suitable and some can be harmful. Louise guides us below with her favourite perfume combinations and materials for the kitchen. This is what she suggests:

• Expressed essential oils – oil pressed directly from the zest of citrus fruits. Edible expressed oils like lime or bergamot can be added to vinaigrette or mayonnaise or used to scent cutlery or napkins.
• Steam distilled essential oils – steam is forced through natural material to create essential oil. Try adding edible oils like lavender or black pepper to soups or onto the rim of a cocktail glass.
• Absolutes– more tenacious than essential oils, absolutes are created by washing natural material with a solvent. Try pouring boiling water over absolutes like frankincense to create a cloud of fragrance that surrounds your dinner guests.
• Hydrosol – a by-product of steam distillation, the most common hydrosols are rosewater or lavender water. Edible hydrosols can be poured over cakes, used to finish stews or frozen into ice cubes.

For further fun ideas on how to create a similar experience with food, take inspiration from Louise’s Facebook Page