Basil

The name basil comes from the Latin ‘basilius’, and the Greek βασιλικόν φυτόν (‘basilikón phutón'), meaning royal or kingly plant. Do we need to say more? Ok, well the ancient Egyptians believed basil would open the gates of heaven for a person passing on…

We should probably sell tickets for our basil beds in the summer as brushing your hand over their glossy tops to release the mouth-watering, mood boosting aroma is nothing short of JOY. It’s one of the highlights of the season when British weather is finally dry and sunny enough to plant it out and we can’t even imagine what our heating bill would be like if we tried to produce it in the winter, as it simply hates being dark and wet (we sympathise…)  

Anyway, this times perfectly with the arrival of other Mediterranean treats like tomatoes, aubergines and peppers which it goes with so well. As basil loses its flavour with heat so it’s best to add it at the end of cooking or use raw in pesto. Speaking of which, you can’t even begin to compare the stuff from jars to homemade, and it takes no time at all - you just need a bag of pine nuts, some olive oil, garlic and parmesan or some nutritional yeast.

Get in touch if you’d like to buy some in bulk and freeze for instant pasta happiness in midwinter.