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One of the most rewarding ways of flavouring food, or giving a familiar dish a new twist is to use herbs. There is something very satisfying about stepping outside into your garden and picking herbs to use in your cooking. Not that you necessarily need to have a garden you can easily grow many fresh herbs on a sunny window sill.

Using herbs when they have just been picked means you use them when the essential oils are at their best, and most flavoursome. Dried herbs are more concentrated than their fresh counterparts and you only need about a third of the quantity of dried to fresh. However the drying does affect their taste.

Picking herbs in the early morning gives the best results. If you want to dry the herbs this is best done naturally. Tie them into small bunches and hang upside down in a cool room away from direct sunlight, or laid on a wire rack. Once dry, strip off the dried leaves onto a sheet of white paper and then use this to funnel the dried herbs into airtight jars or containers.

Chopped or finely snipped parsley, tarragon, mint, chives and basil freeze well. Pack them into ice cube trays and then top up with filtered water. Cover with cling film and freeze for up to 6 months. This is a good method for adding to soups and stews.

BASIL
Known for it's affinity with tomatoes, particularly for pasta sauces, Basil is also excellent with fish and egg dishes. The leaves are best torn rather than chopped.
BAY
The dried leaves of the Bay tree or bush as used in stews, soups, casseroles and even milk puddings and when poaching fish.
CHIVES
Chives come in plain or garlic varieties. They are easily grown in a pot on the kitchen window sill. Use as a garnish for soups and salads, or chopped and mixed with cream cheese or in omelette's.
CORIANDER
Try using the seeds in curries, with roast pork or lamb and in casseroles. Use the leaves to add interest to salads, or chop the leaves and add to vegetables and milk based desserts.
DILL
Dill leaves are best used with fish or sprinkled on salads. Use the seeds for cabbage dishes such as sauerkraut, marinades and pickles.
MARJORAM
A variety of Oregano, but with a milder flavour, best used with Lamb, Chicken, in stuffing's and egg and cheese dishes.
MINT
Can be turned into mint sauce and used with Lamb. Also good sprinkled over salads, tomato soup and new potatoes. Try it with fruit such as grapefruit or in Florida cocktails, or as a garnish for long cold drinks or ice cream. Always grow this in a pot if you put it into the garden it will spread like wild fire.
OREGANO
Known mainly for its use in pizzas and in pasta sauces, it goes well with any meat, tomatoes, courgettes, eggs and cheese.
PARSLEY
Comes in two varieties curly and flat leaved. Has a great clean taste when used fresh, try it in salads, soups, stuffing's and deep fried as a special garnish. Commonly used in parsley sauce with steamed fish and new potatoes, or in a butter sauce with asparagus.
ROSEMARY
The leaves of this strong smelling herb look like tiny pine needles, great with roast lamb; it is best used sparingly in soups and stews. It is often used in combination with garlic.
SAGE
The highly pungent soft and silky sage leaves are good in salads, sauces and stuffing's. Sage works very well with onions regularly with roast pork and in pasta sauces.
TARRAGON
Very useful for flavouring home made vinegar's and salad dressings and hot sauces such as Bearnaise. Adds great flavour to fish and chicken dishes.
THYME
Widely used in stuffings, meat loaves, tomato dishes and with eggs and cheese.

Don't just use herbs in freshly cooked dishes they are also good in Herb vinegars, herb butter as a bouquet garni. Go out and experiment - have fun with your cooking

Learn more about this author, Suzie Blu.
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