Sweet fresh basil enhances many dishes, particularly soups, pasta sauces and Thai salads. It also blends brilliantly with tomatoes, eggs, seafoods and vegetables and is splendid as a garnish.

Very popular in Asian dishes like soups and stirfrys, bok choi is best lightly cooked in olive oil with garlic. It can also be an imaginative alternative for spinach and cabbage and gives a piquant lift to fresh green salads.

The delicate onion flavours of chives are perfect with cheese platters, salads, soups, omelettes, potatoes and fish. Fresh chives are a wonderful garnish, particularly on dips.

With its delightful aniseed aroma, chervil makes an excellent flavouring or garnish, especially in scrambled eggs and omelettes and with poultry, fish or cheese dishes.

Essential in many Asian dishes, particularly Chinese, Thai and Indian, coriander leaves and finely-chopped roots give exquisite flavours to soups, curries, dips, salads and dressings. Coriander also works wonderfully with white meats and seafoods.

Very popular in Asian dishes, particularly Thai and Chinese, lemongrass stems give vibrant citrus aromas and flavours to soups, curries and sauces. Lemongrass leaves make a delicious herbal tea.

A sweet, spicy herb popular in Mediterranean cuisines, marjoram is perfect with omelettes and tomato, potato, meat and cheese dishes.

Its delightful fresh taste and scent has made mint popular in all cuisines. Famous in cooked peas, mint sauce, salads, dips and drinks, mint is also a superb garnish and decoration.

A Mediterranean favourite essential on pizzas, oregano is also superb for flavouring meat and tomato dishes and sauces.

Used worldwide to enhance the flavour of many dishes and as a garnish, parsley is also delightful added to soups, salads and classic sauces like mayonnaise.

Ideally used in traditional roasts of lamb, veal and pork, stuffings and casseroles, rosemary sprigs are wonderful infused in vinegars and oils or tossed on barbeque coals.

With subtle garlic scents and flavours, garlic chives enhance soups and salads and garnish vegetables and herb butters superbly.

An aromatic traditional herb for roasts and stuffings, sage is ideal for robust meats, especially game, and for strong cheeses.

One of the most popular herbs in French cuisine, tarragon complements fish soups and chicken and egg dishes. Essential in tartare sauces and in many marinades, tarragon also makes a delightful flavoured vinegar for salads.

An aromatic herb for robust meat dishes like casseroles and stews and for stuffings, thyme also enhances cheese and vegetable dishes and is perfect for herb breads and butters.

Milder than thyme, lemon thyme’s delightful citrus flavour is an essential ingredient in fish stuffing. Popular with poultry and mornays, lemon thyme also makes a delicious lemon sauce.

Use as flavouring in soups stews sauces casseroles and baked fish also for game. Discard leaves before serving.

Used particularly in Thai cuisine, they have an unmistakable citrus fragrance and flavour, tender leaves are used in many Thai soups, salads, and curries to provide a distinct tangy flavour and aroma great in authentic tom yam soup, remove leaves before serving.