Fennel is an herb with a big crunch and strong aniseed flavour that some people find overpowering, but here at A Little Bit Food we love it! Fennel, both as a fresh herb or as a seed, can add unmistakeable flavour to all kinds of dishes, from salads and soups to stir fries and roasts. It's especially good alongside pork, lamb, fish, tomatoes, and eggs.
Spring is officially here and along with it comes longer days, warmer weather, and the arrival of some of our favourite herbs, including one you can easily find in the wild: wild garlic. It seemed an apt choice for our herb of the month as April is the time when wild garlic is at its prime. Here are a few top tips for making the most of it.
Sorrel is a perennial herb and one of the first plants to appear in the spring. You don't often find it in supermarkets but thankfully it grows abundantly in the wild so all of us can enjoy this marvellous herb for free! The most common types of sorrel in cooking are French (or Buckler) sorrel and wood sorrel. The leaves can be picked as early as February.
Rosemary, lemon and olive oil combine to create a sweet and savoury shortbread that are perfect with a cup of tea, but are equally delicious with a holiday cheeseboard or even as an herby biscuit to accompany ice cream. Crumbly, fragrant, and absolutely irresistible, these shortbread are also perfect for our vegan friends as they contain no butter.
Made with a whopping 10 eggs, this cauliflower cake is more like a cross between a cake and a fritatta. But never mind the name, this “cake” is spectacular. The idea comes from Yotom Ottolenghi - it takes a bit of effort but is well worth it. We love the heavy dose of fresh herbs, especially rosemary which really perks up the humble cauliflower. The result is delicious and the leftovers keep for days, making it perfect for packed lunches during the working week.
Rosemary adds warm earthy aromas to this classic Moroccan tagine with figs, cardamom, and cinnamon. This is our twist on the glorious lamb tagine recipe from Under the Shade of Olive Trees by Nadia Zerouali and Merijn Tol. We add cauliflower to ours along with the potato for extra veg - I'm sure other vegetables would work marvellously here, too.
Happy December! An exciting time of year, a time to curl up in front of a roaring fire with loved ones. A time when your garden goes to sleep. But this doesn’t mean your use of fresh herbs has to stop! There are lots of evergreen herbs that will thrive through the winter if protected from frost; Sage, Rosemary, Thyme and Lavender. Otherwise many will still flourish in a pot on a warm windowsill including oregano, chives, mint and parsley.
This recipe is all about the horseradish sauce, which includes roasted garlic and maple syrup for a sweet and potent creamy sauce that goes brilliantly with grilled steak. For more inspiration with horseradish, check out our November Herb of the Month!
Many of us are familiar with the prepared horseradish that you buy in jars at the supermarket. But this month we want to get down to the very root (see what we did there?) of this popular, pungent ingredient. Fresh horseradish might not look like much - picture a gnarly parsnip - but this base ingredient can be used to add fire and punch to numerous recipes. November is prime time for picking horseradish as its best after the first frosts when the leaves turn brown and start to die back.
Fans of Thai and South East Asian cooking will be familiar with lemongrass and its subtle citrus flavour often found in marinades, stir-fries, spice rubs and curries. It’s a kitchen staple for us, particularly as cooler weather has us tucking into warm fragrant recipes like Indonesian monkfish curry. For that reason we’ve decided to make lemongrass our October herb of the month. Read on for top tips about growing and cooking with lemongrass, plus our favourite lemongrass recipes.
This Indonesian monkfish curry is inspired by a similar recipe from Sarah Raven's lovely book 'Food for Friends & Family'. Its signature flavours come from lots of fresh lemongrass, coriander, and coconut milk. We've added lots of vegetables in our version - red pepper, savoy cabbage, and broccoli - but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. The mango salsa isn't necessary but it does add something special to the finished dish. Serve with basmati rice for a complete, satisfying, and delicious meal.
While there is still an abundance of herbs in the garden in early September, we couldn’t let much more time go by without making parsley our herb of the month. Parsley is an extremely underrated herb often only used as a garnish but worth so much more! We make parsley a key component of our Red Onion & Parsley Dressing, and we're not the only ones who have made wide use of this versatile herb.
Lavender is one of our most copious crops in the garden. We've been putting their fragrant purple flowers to use in our favourite baking recipes, and these oat cookes were particularly delicious. Adapted from the Jekka's Herb Cookbook.
This colourful salad combines orange and beetroot with fennel to create a vibrant and refreshing salad that works perfectly alongside barbecued fish or meat. If you can get a hold of golden or rainbow beetroot, they can be used in addition to red beetroot to add even more colour to the salad. Learn more about fennel in our August Herb of the Month!
Mint and peas go so well together. This recipe adds feta and tahini to the mix to create a hummus-like dip that's perfect for summer picnics and easy lunches.
Mint and peas go so well together. This recipe adds feta and tahini to the mix to create a hummus-like dip that's perfect for summer picnics and easy lunches.
Chervil is another underused herb that we simply adore. Why hasn't it hasn't yet reached the mainstream? It's easy to grow and has a mild sweet aniseed flavour that's delicious with all kinds of dishes. We hope that by dedicating our June Herb of the Month to Chervil that more people will be motivated to embrace this marvelous herb!
Fresh Rosemary & Tomato Ketchup
Try stirring our herby Ketchup through Risotto.
Sage & Spicy Tomato Sauce
Fabulous added to Bolognese or a bean stew for a quick, delicious and comforting supper.
Mint, Pea &
Parsley Dip
Try heating and stir through pasta for a nutritious, herby sauce.
Tarragon &
Lemon Dressing
Jazz up your cous cous with a drizzle of our zingy dressing.
