Want to start using fresh herbs in your day-to-day cooking but don’t know where to start? Check out our easy guide to using fresh herbs and get cooking!
Basil
Smells like: fragrant and almost medicinal. Use with: tomatoes, pizzas, poultry, salads, roast vegetables.
Cook Notes: Basil is best torn and not cut with a knife and flavours most deeply when added at the end of the cooking process.
Coriander
Smells like: grassy and almost soapy.
Use with: Asian and Mexican dishes and at the end of lots of Indian food. Coriander will liven up any tomato-based salsa.
Cook notes: The stems of coriander are as flavourful as the leaves. Chop the stems into food as it is cooking and garnish with roughly chopped leaves.
Mint
Smells like: Cool and fresh.
Use with: drinks, sauces, dressings and yoghurt-based sauces. Mint and lamb are best friends, and peas are raised to a new level with some fresh mint stirred through.
Cook notes: mint leaves need to be finely chopped – they are quite rough in texture.
Rosemary
Smells like: medicinal and pine trees.
Use with: red meats, bread and roast vegetables. Rosemary sprigs make great kebab skewers.
Cook notes: a little goes a long way with Rosemary – be sparing.
Tarragon
Smells like: Aniseed.
Use with: chicken, cream, mushrooms, vinegars and eggs.
Cook notes: Tarragon should be added at the end of the cooking to keep the flavour vibrant.
Thyme
Smells like: woody with a citrus undertone.
Use with: stews, meat, eggs and roasted anything.
Cook notes: strip thyme leaves easily by rubbing your fingers against the leaf growth on the stem.
