You say tomato and I say …

The focus today is tomatoes. The plants are everywhere here right now … in pots, in the local allotments down near the estuary foreshore (can tomatoes take in the smell of the sea?), in grow bags in front of houses. In my last farm shop delivery, I got mixed ones: green, yellow, red, big, small, round, oblong. They are beautiful. They smell and taste glorious and looking at them gives me great pleasure.

And then the British Beauty Blogger blog even got in the act with the following review: (https://britishbeautyblogger.com/fragrance/malin-goetz-tomato-candle/). In fact, that’s where today’s post started – from this tomato candle.

I am very partial to the smell of tomato and the associated smells – the fruit, the leaves, the dirt plants are planted in – and I really enjoy seeing the plants in their different permutations around the village.

So, tomato.

Starting with the blogpost that set this in motion. I don’t own a tomato-fragranced candle. In fact, this is the first one I’ve noticed. In any case, I would love to. The description of the Malin & Goetz candle makes it seem very inviting. The smell of tomatoes in the sun. It would be great to be able to re-create that fragrance in deep winter, when things are dormant and the weather is generally cold, grey and wet here.  The candle price is £42 which isn’t too bad within the context of fancy candle costs. It’s too bad though it’s only available in a large size. Or maybe it isn’t too bad: if it came in a smaller version I’d already own it unsmelled and could tell you what it’s like.

On to tomato fragrances, of which there are a number – probably way more than I found listed online.

When I ran the online perfumery, I stocked some Hilde Soliani perfumes – before her names went insane. My favourites were the theatre-dressing-room-themed Vecchi Rossetti (makeup, floor wax, etc) and the tomato-based Stecca. Stecca was meant to evoke the green of the plant, the voluptuousness of the fruit, and the earthiness of the dirt the plant was grown in, and to me it did this quite beautifully. Only problem with HS fragrances is they tended to be beautiful on top and in the middle and then dry down to an alcohol/chemical smell that sort of broke the spell.

I found a few other tomato-themed fragrances, none of which I’ve had an opportunity to sample.

Demeter’s Tomato (a Christopher Brosius creation, the site says the smell of picking tomatoes really – ie, the smell of leaves on your hands, which sounds quite good to me) might well be available at our local department store. One day, I’ll actually venture back into such places and have a go.

The other fragrance that Google immediately popped up was another Christopher Brosius, but this time in his CB I Hate Perfume incarnation.

Memory of Kindness from the Secret History series sounds incredible. Per the CB website, “The shining green scent of tomato vines growing in the fresh earth of a country garden”. Oy, I wish you could get CB stuff here – I would have a sample to discuss along with my small M&G Tomato candle. Sigh.

So, over to you. Tried/have any of these? Other tomato candles/perfumes you love and recommend?

PS My little sunflower (ie, vs other huge ones I’ve seen in the village) is blooming. It’s not a tomato, but it’s beautiful, makes me happy and informs me that I should grow sunflowers next year in the house-house garden (when I’ve resurrected it).

PPS Tomato pics are from Pexels