Basil is among the most popular herbs in Mediterranean cooking – you’ll find it chopped into mozzarella and tomato salads, shredded onto pizzas or simply torn up and tossed raw among salad ingredients for a lift of rich, tangy flavour.
In fact, though basil hails from the hot, steamy rainforests of the Far East, so give it plenty of heat, lots of water and a rich soil. Choose from purple, Thai, Greek or sweet green Genovese varieties, and sow regular small batches for a constant supply. Plant out into the greenhouse borders among your tomato plants or into roomy containers to keep outside the back door and pick at will.