Good thymes

Herb: A Cook’s Companion By Mark Diacono

Cheerful, cheeky and entirely encouraging, Mark Diacono is an excellent guide to the intricacies of herb flavours, the conditions they thrive in, and how they elevate a dish from everyday to extraordinary. Vivid descriptions such as summer savory being “resinous as a creosoted fence,” while flowering chives look “like a

clutch of purple sparklers” make Herb a delicious read; clear, concise growing instructions to make a container garden of thyme, lemon verbena, dill, mint, salad burnet and tarragon sound more than possible, and the recipes they’re used in – Greek Herb Pie, bright with dill and mint, or Crab and Chervil Linguine, are ones to relish. (Quadrille)