Darina Allen: My favourite recipes using easy to grow garden herbs 

Herbs to add a bit of magic to dishes — recipes for Parsley Pesto and Chimichurri Sauce

Now is the time to use those garden herbs to their full potential

Prompted by National Herb Week, this week’s column is all about my beloved herbs.  And not just parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme… I’ll encourage you to be extra adventurous and experiment with less familiar herbs.

I’m loving the bright celery flavour of the new season’s lovage that’s popping up in the Ballymaloe Cookery School Herb Garden. It’s a leafy perennial that grows about 5 feet tall and comes back every year. The tender young growth is particularly delicious in salads and in soups but we also enjoy this under-appreciated herb in scrambled eggs, omelettes and potato and tomato salads with lots of slivered spring onions and parsley.