Salsa Verde: A great way to use up any left over fresh herbs. Salsa Verde is a delicious sauce that goes really well with everything from fish to chicken and lamb. Place a handful of each, basil, parsley, tarragon and mint along with 6 anchovy fillets in olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbsp capers, the juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper and 125ml of good extra virgin olive oil in a small food processor and blend until smooth.
Rosemary salt: Rosemary salts are a great simple seasoning and make your herbs last so much longer. Finely chop 7 springs of rosemary and place in a pestle and mortar with 50g of sea salt. Grind up until the salt has gone a little green, and then place in a kilner jar. Delicious sprinkled on ham and cornichons and served with crusty bread and butter or used to season meat, fish or chicken before griddling or roasting.
Freeze herbs: A great way to store left over herbs. Finely chop your favourite herbs and place in a little water in ice cube trays. They freeze really well and are really useful when you just need a few herbs. Just pop a couple of cubes out and mix them into a casserole, curry or stew. You can even mix the herb varieties to make your own herbs de Provence, (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil and bay)
Bouquet garni: Bouquet garni is an integral part of most French slow cooking, but works just as well in British and Italian cooking. Bunch together 1 bay leaf with 4 sprigs of thyme, 6 parsley stalks and 1 sprig of rosemary with a stub of celery and tie with a piece of string. It will bring a new lease of life to your spag bol.
Mint sugar: Place 20 chopped mint leaves in a pestle and mortar along with 85g of golden caster sugar. Pound together until the sugar has gone green and the mint has released its aromas. Delicious sprinkled on grapefruit and then grilled.
Thai pesto: Place 20 mint leaves, a bunch of coriander, 1 stalk of lemon grass, a 2 cm piece of peeled ginger, 2 deseeded green chillies, the juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp of brown sugar in a small food processor and blitz until smooth. Fantastic served with griddled steak or fish.
Herb butters: Add 2 tbsp of favourite chopped herbs to a 225g pack of softened butter and mix thoroughly. Lay out a double-layered 30cm piece of cling film and place the butter in the middle of it. Roll the butter in the cling film and make it into the shape of a sausage. Tighten by twisting the ends. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours to set. Slice a piece off each time you need it. Delicious melted on top of steak or stirred into steamed vegetables. Try adding a clove of garlic for added punch.