GROW YOUR OWN SPICE RACK

Bring a bit of spice into your life this month with Rob Smith's pick of some of his favourite herbs

-  Rob Smith's

When it comes to growing plants which pack the most flavour and biggest punch, it has to be herbs! These multi-use plants are used as an ingredient or flavouring with meats or vegetables as they can be too powerful on their own; and because you don’t always use that much of a herb in any one dish, we have learnt to preserve our herbs to use later in the year. From mild-mannered parsley to pungent mountain pepper, there are an untold number of herbs to grow at home no matter the space you have.

Many herb plants require free-draining soil in a sunny position, especially those originating in the Mediterranean. Therefore, they make excellent candidates to be grown in containers and pots where you can control the substrate. Many annual herbs can be grown in smaller 30cm (12in) pots and will do just fine in the garden because they are only there for a short time, while perennial and evergreen herbs can become quite a size and are better off grown in larger containers or in the garden itself.

PARSLEY FLAT AND CURLY

One of the most popular herbs to grow at home is parsley, with both flat-leaved and curly being grown up and down the country. While the flat-leaved varieties are said to have a finer flavour and are prized by chefs and home cooks for the ability to change the dynamic of a dish, curly leaved types are grown more for their garnish potential and making a dish look good. Along with these, there is also breeding work to create new, extra fine-leaved types of parsley which have a strong flavour yet look almost like dill because of the leaf shape, perfect to go with fish.