Duffy - Herbs

In memory of all my grandparents

Bloomsbury Publishing

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This electronic edition published in 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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First published in Great Britain 2012

Text 2012 by Nikki Duffy

Photography 2012 by Mark Diacono, except GAP Photos/FhF Greenmedia

Nikki Duffy has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication data has been applied for.

ISBN: 978-1-4088-0883-2 (HB)

ISBN: 978-1-4088-9667-9 (eBook)

Project editor: Janet Illsley

Design: willwebb.co.uk

The publishers would also like to thank Sam Carlisle for his assistance.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this book, in no circumstances can the publisher or the author accept any legal responsibility or liability for any loss or damage (including damage to property and/or personal injury) arising from any error in or omission from the information contained in this book, or from the failure of the reader to properly and accurately follow any instructions contained in the book. The recipes supplied in the book are for personal use only. No recipe may be used for commercial purposes without the express permission of the author.

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Contents

Herbs are central to the River Cottage way of cooking and eating. Its high time that a volume on these lovely ingredients was added to our other handbooks, and Im delighted that Nikki has been the one to write it. She is as passionate as I am about the culinary properties of these wonderful plants. Like me, she is in thrall to their intoxicating scents and their gorgeous flowers, which are frequently at least as useful as their leaves.

Herbs are often real catalysts, both in the garden and the kitchen. They function in an immediate way, getting the juices flowing because they are so instantly enticing and appetite-piquing. But, in a broader sense, herbs can be the plants that make you into a gardener, even a very small-scale one, and the ingredients that turn you into a creative cook. They are so easy to grow and so simple to use that they form an irresistible first step on a road towards self-sufficiency.

That neednt be the end goal, of course; in fact its really an endless and ever-life-enhancing journey. That journey, away from industrially produced, sterile food towards everything that is local, seasonal and exciting, is what River Cottage is, and has always been, about. And Nikkis book is now a vital part of that road map. Its a wonderfully useful guide that will introduce you to the satisfaction of growing and cooking some of your own food, if you dont already. If you do, you will find much in these pages to inspire you and take you further. There are plenty of classic recipes here, but also bags of new ideas that will have you using your homegrown herbs in ways you may never have considered before. Bay-infused ice cream, white chocolate truffles with basil, and lavender-scented lamb are just a few among a host of tempting aromatic recipes.

What I love about herbs is their easiness, the lack of effort they require from the cook. These ingredients dont ask you for any big commitment beyond the bid to make something even more delicious to eat. Preparation is usually minimal: pulling some leaves off a stem, maybe chopping them, maybe not. Quantities need not be precise. One herb can often be substituted for another. And while Id be the first to try to persuade you to grow your own, you dont actually have to do so in order to get good, flavoursome specimens (see Nikkis list of the herbs most worth buying from shops ). And yet, while they ask so little of you, herbs will give and give and give in terms of flavour, colour, texture and that indefinable ability they have to just make a dish.

Herbs were among the first things I tackled when setting up my fledgling kitchen garden at the original River Cottage. I knew that these plants would instantly enliven my cooking, long before I could start lifting my own homegrown potatoes or cutting my first spears of asparagus. So I went and bought some pots of bay, rosemary, parsley and chives from a local nursery, planted them, and I was away. They were ready to cut almost immediately and, with a bit of undemanding maintenance work, they continued to provide me with an aromatic harvest right up to the day we moved out. Now, the altogether larger-scale kitchen plot at Park Farm is absolutely bursting with herbs. Nasturtiums shout from every corner, angelica lifts its long, elegant stems by the farmhouse, and there are beds bristling with chives, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage and lovage to satisfy the kitchens considerable needs.

While its not essential to grow your own herbs in order to enjoy them, I do think youre missing a bit of a trick if you dont. Most look and taste their absolute best when freshly cut, and their very presence on your windowsill or by the back door will encourage you to use them. You dont need a veg patch, greenhouse or polytunnel; you can grow herbs with no garden at all. Of course, the more space you have, the more possibilities suggest themselves, but a window box, sunny patio or even a doorstep with a few pots on will suffice.

If you think you know your herbs pretty well, then step outside the zone of what is already familiar to you. Treat yourself to a pot of intense Thai basil or a glowing purple-bronze perilla plant and see how you get on. I am certain you will be won over by these delicious aromatic plants. Browse through the pages of this book and see what else tickles your fancy. With Nikkis warm and wise text to guide you, there is very little to stand in the way of an ever-increasing exploration and enjoyment of the herbal world. Immerse yourself in it, breathe in deeply, and savour the sheer joy that it brings.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, East Devon, December 2011