Fresh Herbs Basil Bunch

Few herbs transform a dish the way fresh basil does. Warm, sweet and faintly peppery with an aroma that fills the kitchen the moment you tear a leaf, it is the herb that makes a good tomato great, a simple pasta extraordinary and a homemade pesto worth every minute it takes to make.

Summer is when basil is genuinely at its finest. From November through March, warm growing conditions produce bunches with big fragrant leaves and full flavour depth. This is the time of year to use it generously and without restraint. Available year-round, but the summer bunch is the one worth getting excited about.

Tear it over a Caprese salad with ripe tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, blitz into a classic pesto, fold through a pasta sauce at the last minute, scatter over a pizza straight from the oven, or float a few leaves over a bowl of soup. It works wherever freshness is needed.

One important tip: basil hates the cold. Store it at room temperature with the stems in a small glass of water like a bunch of flowers, not in the fridge. Keep it on the bench and it will stay fresh and fragrant for days longer than it would chilling in a crisper drawer.