There are so many wonderful culinary herbs that it’s difficult to pick only five for our list, but here goes:

1. Basil. Rub basil gently and enjoy its heavenly scent on your fingers. If you love pasta this herb has to be tops. It reminds us of long, lazy summer days and it is especially enjoyed with fresh garlic, black pepper, big cuts of mozarella, generous slices of juicy beef tomatoes all covered with a light drizzle of an oil and vinegar dressing. Basil is also the main ingredient in pesto. Basil not only complements Italian food but also Thai and American cuisines.

2. Lavender. Our most used herb blend is Herbes De Provence and lavender is part of this delicious mix, along with fennel. thyme, savory and others. It’s perfect on grilled food, especially fish, and in vegetable soups and meaty stews too. Lavender is not only edible but it smells great. Lavender relaxes the body, so a lavender filled sachet by your pillow will help you have a restful night’s sleep!

3. Dill. Do I hear you say pickles? And it’s perfect with salmon. It’s fine ‘branches’ dress up salmon wonderfully.

4. Rosemary. This herb can grow very large! This shrub that can be grown into small culinary Christmas trees – a great gift for a budding chef. With an aroma in potency to match Basil’s, it’s a perfect accompaniment for tomatoes and grilled veggies, soup and meat.

5. Cilantro rounds out our top five. It has a totally different aroma to the other herbs and definitely livens up a dish. It makes pico de gallo popand basically any Mexican dishes!

With the great varieties of herbs available today it’s hard to decide on just five top herbs. Growing herbs can be a fun pastime, so if you’ve ever fancied the idea of a herb garden then try growing these five You will then have a choice of herbs to enhance your dishes that are close by, for whatever type of dish you are making.