Mario Bautista
I’ve got at least three types of thyme, plus everything from angelica, basil, chervil and dill to fennel, marjoram, sage, tarragon and parsley, which I use all the time. I just love the fact that whatever I need, I can go out and pick it. I also get to breathe in all their wonderful aromatic smells. Herbs can add so much to a dish and growing them gives you a wonderful sense of satisfaction.
What are the more unusual herbs you grow and what do you use them for?
Sorrel is one herb that’s hard to find in the shops, so you have to grow it. In the summer, I make a lovely sorrel, pea and lettuce soup. Another of the less common ones is lovage. It’s related to celery and parsley and has quite a powerful kick. It’s great in a creamy fish sauce or something like pork belly slices with parsley and lovage potatoes.
I also add freshly chopped lovage when I’m making Swedish meatballs. The latest one I’m attempting to grow is hogweed. It looks a bit like hemlock, but the seeds are really good, very popular in Turkish and Iranian dishes. For desserts, I love using Angelica, which is an amazing plant. In one of my latest books, I use candied Angelica to put on top of my sherry trifle with frozen berries.
When did you first become interested in herbs?
It was probably in the early 1970s, not long before I opened the Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. Back then, I was living with my family in Trevose Head, which is about five miles from here. I was growing my own vegetables back then, but I’d started reading books about herbs and was inspired by cookery writers such as Elizabeth David. Her book, Provincial French Cooking, was a particular favourite, but many of the recipes required herbs which, back then, you couldn’t buy here.
