Herbs _in urbs_

Writing in the sixteenth century the East Anglian farmer Thomas Tusser listed over 50 herbs that he considered essential in every kitchen garden, and at one time – in fact until just over 200 years ago – London’s Leadenhall had its very own herb market. The fact that it closed down is probably a sad reflection on the decline of the use of herbs in English cooking. And not just for cooking, for every cookbook right up to the last century contained its own batch of herbal healing remedies for a whole litany of ailments, from toothache to gout!

I suppose the decline of herbs ran parallel to the decline of cooking, at the time the industrial revolution enticed people off the land. But now, two centuries later, I think nature is luring us back from our modern technology to consider what the earth gives – fresh natural foods and fresh natural flavours, and not least the enormous variety of fragrant and fresh-tasting herbs. Living in the country I am fortunate enough to have room for a fairly large herb garden, but even in the cities more and more people have recently set up their window-boxes or grow-bags to plant a few fresh herbs to enliven their cooking.

Even if that isn’t possible, fresh herbs can now be purchased widely in shops and supermarkets. There are quite a number of herb farms which send them out by post (which is a slightly extravagant way of acquiring them, since it involves ever-increasing postal charges). But if we keep on pestering those greengrocers who don’t yet stock a decent range of fresh herbs, we will eventually get a steadier and more reliable supply of them.

Click here to return to Back to basics: herbs