Lemongrass
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a major ingredient in Asian recipes, often appearing in Thai curries (it also makes a delicious syrup). The leathery foliage is finely sliced or crushed and infused before being cooked. The grass can grow to 3ft (90cm) tall, and while it’s not fully hardy, it’s easy to grow in the UK in a pot (that way, you can move it somewhere frostfree between October and April).
While you can raise plants from seed, now is also the perfect time to root cuttings. Buy a pack of fresh lemongrass from the supermarket, stand the stems in a shallow glass of water and roots will appear in weeks. Once potted up into multipurpose compost, allow to establish before harvesting single stems for cooking.