Photography by Arina Lanis
Food & Floral Styling by Jane Winter
Jane Winter, an accomplished and talented floral designer and owner of Wildflowers, is no doubt the lady of her manor. From her beautiful home and lovingly prepared cuisine to her stunning garden and gorgeous tablescapes, there is no argument that her style would make any Anglophile swoon.
Preparing for a dinner party in her beautiful Central West End home, which she and her family moved into 18 years ago from a small village in England, Jane makes sure that no detail is left undone.
Jane's love for cooking was inherited from her mother, who would let Jane cook or simply "hang out" with her in the kitchen when she was growing up. To Jane, cooking is a lot like working with flowers. They both involve things which are three dimensional — you have to pay attention to form and color. Flowers also awaken our sense of taste or smell and touch our spirits. Throughout the years, Jane refined her cooking techniques with Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The Joy Of Cooking at her side.
What Jane Winter is mostly famous for, however, is her incredible talents as a floral designer. Her studio is located in St Louis' historic Floral Row, where fresh flowers from around the world arrive daily. Initially interested in gardening, a favorite British pastime, Jane was inspired to pursue floral design after visiting a friend who always had on display in her front hall an arrangement made with fresh-picked flowers. She designed with careful attention to the forms and leaves of her flowers as well as to the container in which they were placed. That caught Jane's attention, and she started playing with various things she found on walks... needless to say, Jane was hooked! The challenge of sometimes having "slim pickings" from her own garden to work with ultimately led her to refine and develop her art in creative and beautiful ways.
If you ask Jane about her philosophy on entertaining, she'll say that it's simple... entertaining is all about hospitality, to both those you know and those you don't. It's about making people feel welcomed and cared for. It's not about impressing people, but about giving them a gift from the heart.
This philosophy is apparent in everything Jane does. On this winter's evening with a chill in the air and a beautiful sunset, a warm and comforting dinner designed to satisfy all senses awaits. The seasonal menu includes a delicious carrot soup, a rich butterflied leg of lamb, and oranges in Grand Marnier for dessert.
The vibrant color palette of red, deep yellow, and orange is woven through numerous details on this evening, from the stunning floral centerpieces, arranged in differently-sized vases with various types of flowers, to her dinner china, placemats, and even the careful selection of food to be served this evening. Everything Jane prepares and designs quietly talks to each other through color and form. The result is an evening that speaks nothing less than "perfect English."
