THE BEST FRESH BASIL PESTO

EVERY year I grow scores of basil plants from seed and make pesto, which we eat fresh with pasta, potatoes and good bread, as well as freezing to eat in winter.

Every batch is slightly different, but to my mind, any pesto made from basil picked fresh from the garden and grown well (which essentially means fast and without being checked by cold or lack of water) is delicious.

This is my wife Sarah’s recipe and, although pesto is open to lots of interpretation, it is as good as any I have tasted. n 85g fresh basil leaves n 30g pine nuts n 1 large garlic clove n Pinch of sea salt n 100ml olive oil n 75g Parmesan cheese, grated. PUT the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic and salt into a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until everything is roughly chopped. It is important not to over-process, or it will become a sludge.

Add the olive oil in a thin stream through the top of the processor and pulse until combined. Finally, stir in the cheese.