We met Sophie Grigson at The Body Shop's Earth Lovers press day last week, she was there to help us all understand how to make our houses and gardens a bit more eco friendly, and to shift some shower gel. We took the opportunity to ask her what her favourite herbs are, since there was a lot of herb stuff going on, and this is what she said.
Sophie's top tips for growing herbs:
'Pick them! They like being picked, people think they'll will upset the plants if they pick too much, but actually it makes them happy."
'Don't buy supermarket herbs and expect them to do well when they've finished, because they have been hothoused and forced, use them and throw them. You might be lucky and get a bit more out of them, but it's hardly worth the effort'.
'Think where they originate and treat them accordingly.'
What are your favourite herbs, Sophie?
'Coriander and mint, I can't live without them. we don't use mint nearly enough in British cooking, it's such an uplifting herb, it's a 'life is good' herb. One of my favourite teas is fresh mint and fresh rosemary, in the morning it really helps your brain reassemble.Try mint on a tomato salad instead of basil, it's every bit as good.'
I gave teenagesons the 100% biodegradable shower gel (first of its kind according to The Body Shop although it's not on the website yet) and it passed their stringent quality tests (doesn't smell too girly and isn't a weird colour). it's pricy at £5.00 a bottle, but if you want to save the planet, it could be the one for you.
