Culinary Herbs

Melissa officinalis or 'Lemon balm' is a highly-scented herb, best known for its use in tea, but this very special herb has a number other uses. If you enjoy the liquors Benedictine and Chartreuse you may find the taste familiar as lemon balm is an ingredient in both.

Lemon grass is widely used as a herb in Asian and Caribbean cooking. It has a citrus flavour and can be dried and powdered, or used fresh. It is commonly used in teas, soups, and curries and is also suitable for poultry, fish, and seafood.

If you haven’t cooked with lovage before then you have missed out on a very flavourful herb. The flavour is distinct and greatly appreciated by food aficionados. Even though some like to compare lovage to celery, it is almost like saying that an apricot tastes like a small peach.

Members of the oregano family are an essential plant for a well-stocked, sunny herb garden. Fragrant and very decorative, Sweet Marjoram is an essential culinary herb, good with veal, beef, lamb, roast poultry and fish. The leaves are best used fresh, as their flavour is sweeter and milder.

Peppermint is a perennial favorite for many people, it has high menthol content and its refreshing taste is uplifting and cleansing. Popular for infusions and a favourite among herbal tea drinkers, it is one of the easiest herbs to grow yourself. Get creative and include in Schnapps, Mint Juleps or Mojitos!

Who can resist the smell of fresh mint in the garden? Mentha spicata is the best strain grown from seed. It is an exceptionally fragrant and ornamental plant in addition to having many culinary uses, it is also extremely attractive to butterflies and bees, making a wonderful addition to a wildlife garden.

Dating back to the time of the Pharaoh's, Egyptian Mint is characterised as refreshing, cooling and flavourful. Well rounded with no bitter aftertaste, Egyptian Mint has a stronger flavour similar to Apple Mint but, this is a much more robust plant with sturdy upright stems and large velvety green-grey leaves.

Minutina, also known as Erba Stella is a unique, cold weather salad green prized in Italy for its mild nutty flavour and crunchy texture. This perennial can be grown all winter in temperate climates. With a mild nutty flavour and crunchy texture it is a great addition to salad mixes or for stir-frying.

Mitsuba is a classic seasoning that is very popular in Asian cuisine. Used as both an herb and a salad green and added fresh or cooked to anything from soup to sushi. Mitsuba's look and aroma are distinctive, for the herb aficionado or aesthetically motivated cook, it is a great addition to the gourmet garden.

The Welsh onion has a mild, sweet flavour and although the Welsh onion is much more delicate, it is strongly reminiscent of the leek in appearance and taste and is similar to the scallion. It is distinguished from the bulb onion by its round hollow leaves and only slight bulb formation.

The Red Welsh is an old form of the perennial bunching onion with very decorative red stalks and a slightly stronger flavoured than the white variety. Once established, tend to look after themselves. The flowers are attractive to bees and is an effective insect repellent.

The difference in taste between fresh oregano and the store-bought dried variety is like night and day. Its spicy yet refreshing flavour contributes to Italian, Greek, and Spanish cuisine. Fresh oregano adds a boost of flavour that just can't be beat. Easy to grow either in the garden or indoors.

Origanum syriacum, commonly called Syrian oregano or Zaatar, is a special oregano that is more aromatic than the European variant that blends hints of Oregano, Thyme and Marjoram. It is similar yet distinctive, and gives great fragrance to a roast or rub.

Also known as Italian parsley, flat leaf parsley has dark green leaves and a pungent, sweet flavour. 'Italian Giant' is a selective plant with deeply cut, bright green leaves. Known to have better flavour than other varieties, it is indispensable for a huge range of dishes and is the choice parsley for drying.

Pennyroyal is a cottage garden plant of old. This highly aromatic herb has a strong peppermint scent to its dark green leaves, even more so than other mints. With attractive whorls of lilac-blue flowers, it can be used to carpet a shady corner or make a 'lawn' smelling deliciously of peppermint.