Dandelion Play Dough

I’m afraid this isn’t gluten free. We’re (pretty much) past the stage of Finn putting everything into his mouth, and I’ve found gluten free play doughs are particularly tricky to make well - and they can get expensive. So, the one I make nowadays uses plain white flour - but it isn’t made for eating. You can use a range of natural colours (matcha green tea powder, beetroot powder or beetroot juice, turmeric are a few), but this one uses the vibrant yellow flowers of the dandelion, popping up everywhere this time of year. It’s sunshine in a play dough!

Ingredients

1 cup flour (plain white flour)

1/2 cup salt (just cheap table salt - don’t waste your proper salt here!)

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

1 cup water (filtered or distilled, ideally, to reduce bacteria and prolong life of the dough - but tap water is fine)

1.5 tablespoons oil (cheap vegetable oil - again, this isn’t for eating)

10 freshly picked dandelion flowers

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (optional, but gives an extra punch to the colour)

Instructions

Remove all yellow petals from the dandelions (share the job with little hands).

Blend petals with the water for 5-10 seconds. They don’t need to be liquidized, just broken up. The water should end up yellow but with bits of petals still visible.

Place all ingredients into a saucepan. Whisk well.

Set onto a medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and eventually forms a ball.

Remove from the heat and roll around the pan to pick up any remaining bits of dough.

Remove from the pan and place on a plate. Flatten to cool. Once cool it is ready to use.

Store in an airtight container.