INSTANT FRESH herbs

Supermarket pots of fresh basil, marjoram and parsley make fragrant pop-up herb gardens as long as you give them a little help to get them over their less-than-perfect start in life.

Cut back the artificially lush but sappy top growth by about two-thirds, then tip out their pots and gently pull the rootball apart into three or four clumps.

Pot each into its own container and, once they’re growing strongly, plant into the garden or fill containers on a sunny patio.