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Herb Directory. This is the herb directory, listing every type of herb we know. Click on the name of the Herb in the table below to go to a full description of what the herb looks and tastes like and also see what types of dishes its generally used in.

Angelica

A tall plant with all parts used for flavouring, though only the candied stem is available commercially. Use the leaves as a vegetable, add to salads or cook with fish. The stems can be eaten raw like celery or candied and crystallised and used in ice creams, cakes and as a cake decoration. The root imparts sweetness when cooked, so it is good for stewing with acid fruits such as rhubarb or gooseberries.

Balm (lemon balm)

This has green, heart-shaped leaves and a tendency, like mint, to take over a whole garden unless controlled by planting it in a bottomless container sunk in the earth to contain the roots. It has a lemony smell and taste and is good with fish, poultry and ham dishes and in marinades. Especially fragrant when used to flavour plain boiled rice. It can also be used in in summer fruit drinks and as a herbal tea.

Basil (sweet basil)

This Herb has a distinctive, pungent taste and aromatic scent and is generally used with tomatoes and in Italian cookery. It is also good in salads, with lamb, often used to flavour butter (Basil Butter), can be served on grilled meat, with green vegetables, in tomato soup and in Pesto Sauce. Basil grows for a short period in summer and needs plenty of sun.

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Bay

This Herb has a strong, spicy flavour and can be used fresh or dried-when the flavour is even more pronounced. One or two leaves are all that is needed to flavour a dish. Bay is one of the ingredients in a bouquet garni. Although mainly used in meat and fish casseroles and marinades for fish and poultry, it is also used in soups and stocks and to flavour infusions of milk for use in sauces such as Béchamel (used in Lasagne) or milk puddings. Bay trees are very ornamental and can be pruned like hedges to a desired shape.

Borage

This Herb has slightly hairy leaves and the bright blue flowers have a flavour of salt and cucumber. It is mainly used in Claret Cup, Pimms and other cool summer drinks, it can also be used in salads. The flowers can be candied and used as decorations for cakes and sweets. Borage is easy to grow and is not sold dried.

Burnet (salad burnet)

This Herb has a nutty flavour with a hint of cucumber and is good in salads, especially in winter when it continues to flourish. It can also be used in soups and stews.

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Chervil

This has a delicate, sweet flavour and is used in a similar way to parsley, especially in French dishes. It is good in salads, as a garnish, with a variety of vegetables, especially new potatoes, and as a flavouring for sauces such as Hollandaise. It also blends well with egg, cheese and chicken dishes.

Chives

Chives are members of the onion family with narrow, green leaves which are the part you eat. They are best used raw to flavour salads and dressings and as a garnish for soups and savoury dishes. They should be snipped into short lengths before use.

Coriander

This Herb is mainly grown for its seeds but the leaves have an unusual flavour and are good in Middle Eastern and Indian dishes, salads and chilled soups (the seeds are also regarded as a Spice).

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Curry plant

This Herb has green, spiky leaves and its a shrubby perennial. As its name suggests it has a strong curry flavour. Although its not used in Indian curries, add the fresh or dried leaves sparingly to soups and stews also can be used innovatively in summer salads.

Dill

The feathery leaves (known as dill weed) are used as a herb and the dried dill seeds as a spice. Dill weed has a mild, sweet, caraway flavour and needs to be used in fairly large quantities. The dried dill seeds are more pungent. Dill is used in salads, as a garnish, in scrambled eggs, white meat dishes and classically with salmon.

Fennel  

Both the feathery leaves and seeds are used in this Herb. It has a slightly aniseed flavour and the seed is a good aid to digestion. It is a classical flavouring for fish-especially oily fish where it counteracts the
richness-and in marinades, soups and sauces. Often used in "modern leaf salads".

Fines herbes

A mixture of finely chopped leaves of chives, chervil, parsley and tarragon which are
used in omelettes, with fish, poultry and salads.

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Garlic

Actually not a herb but often used in conjunction with fresh herbs. Garlic is the most pungent of the onion family and is available in three varieties, white, red and pink. Choose cloves that are hard and firm. The strong taste of garlic is held in its oil and is passed through the lungs on the breath and, if enough is eaten, through the pores of the skin. It is used widely in savoury dishes, usually only a clove at a time. Also used to flavour butter.

Horseradish

This Herb is a root of the mustard family, which has a hot, biting, pungent taste and should be used sparingly. It is used raw, grated into dressings normally cream based and is classically served with roast beef. Horseradish is also good with some fish and as a flavouring for sandwich fillings.

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Lemon Grass

Lemon grass is grown mostly in tropical and sub-tropical countries but is imported to the West, in fresh and dried forms and as a powder (sereh). It has thick, grass like leaves which smell and taste strongly of lemon. It is most often used in the cooking of Sri Lanka and South Asia (notably Thailand) to flavour curries and meat dishes. It can also be used with fish and to flavour sweet puddings.

Lovage

This Herb has a sharp peppery flavour, which is good in all strong tasting savoury dishes and soups. Lovage leaves add an unusual tang to salads and are good in cold roast beef sandwiches.

Marjoram

This Herb has a spicy, slightly bitter, nutmeg-type flavour and can be used to replace basil if not available. It is good in stuffing's, rubbed over roast meats such as pork, in meat soups, on pizza and in homemade sausages. It can also be used in egg dishes, on buttered vegetables and in cream soups.

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Mint

There are many culinary varieties of mint with different flavours and scents, e.g. peppermint, spearmint, applemint. It is usually sold dried but is very easy to grow. Use fresh for Mint Sauce or jelly with lamb. Use Mint as a flavouring for potatoes, peas and other vegetables and to garnish wine and fruit cups. Can also be used to make Mint Tea.

Mixed herbs

A mixture of dried herbs, usually. parsley, sage, thyme, marjoram and tarragon, used for seasoning savoury dishes which do not require individual herbs, e.g. soups and casseroles.

Oregano

This Herb is a member of the marjoram family and sometimes referred to as Wild Marjoram, which can be interchanged, although oregano is much more aromatic and strongly flavoured. Use with meat, sausages, soups, pizza and other Italian dishes, tomatoes, in salads, with cooked vegetables and in egg and cheese dishes.

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Parsley

A mild, pleasantly flavoured herb with flat or curly leaves which make an attractive garnish sprinkled on food. Most of the flavour is in the stalks which are used as a classic ingredient for bouquet garni and fines herbes. Use Parsley in sauces for ham and fish, with vegetables, in stuffing's and butters, salads and as a garnish. Can also be used to take away the smell of Garlic on your breath by chewing a fresh sprig.

Rosemary

A strong pungent herb with spikey leaves. The flavour overpowers other herbs so use it on its own and sparingly in meat, fish, poultry and some sweet dishes. It marries well with all lamb dishes and is excellent used with barbecued meats.

Sage

A large-leaved herb with a strong, slightly bitter taste. Use on its own, sparingly, in stuffing's, casseroles, salads, with meat dishes such as pork and sausages and also in egg and cheese dishes.

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Savory 

This Herb comes in summer and winter varieties and is best when fresh. It has a distinctive peppery flavour which has a particular affinity with beans and brings out their taste. Use also with egg dishes, tomatoes and other vegetables, soups and cheese.

Tarragon

Has a distinctive and unusual flavour. There are two main species, the French variety being better than the Russian. It is one of the herbs used in the Fines herbes mixture and is also used in Hollandaise, Béarnaise and Tartare Sauces. Used also to flavour wine vinegar, in marinades, with fish and chicken, in aspic glaze, tarragon butter and sauce for ham.

Thyme  

This Herb comes in many varieties of which garden and lemon are the most common. Has a strong aromatic flavour and is a constituent of bouquet garni. Rub over beef, lamb and veal before roasting and use in soups, stuffing's, Bread Sauce, with carrots, onions and mushrooms and in dishes cooked with wine. Lemon thyme is especially good in stuffing's for veal and with egg and fish dishes.

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For information on how to freeze fruit and vegetables visit our How to freeze Fruit and Vegetables guide.

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