Angela Hartnett celebrates spring herbs

Parsley, basil, tarragon and rosemary aren’t just garnishes. Use generously to give fish, chicken, salads – and even pudding – extra zing, says Angela Hartnett

Herbs are a big part of my cooking, particularly parsley, basil and rosemary. I also love the way that tarragon can transform a basic hollandaise into a Béarnaise sauce, which goes fabulously well with beef.

I use flat-leaf parsley in anything and everything. I often make a bowl of pasta with only butter, parmesan and flat-leaf parsley. One of my favourite dishes is aglio olio e peperoncino, which is spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, chopped parsley and chilli. It puts the parsley front and centre of the dish. Sage is fantastic with pork, but a little

fried sage can also be added to pasta, or used in tempura for canapés. You can buy basil all year round, but at this time of year it really comes into its own if you’re growing it at home.

Many cuisines have their own take on a herby green sauce, from Italian salsa verde to Argentinian chimichurri or Canarian mojo sauce, and it works really well (I adapted the chicken dish here thanks to my friend James Ferguson, the former Rochelle Canteen head chef, who was inspired by his holidays in the Canary Islands to make this coriander and green pepper sauce).

I always think bolognese is great when the meat has been hand-cut rather than minced and, for me, the same goes for herbs: I’d always rather hand-chop fresh herbs than stick them in a blender – to avoid bruising them, to take in the scent and ultimately enjoy a better flavour. I prefer to use fresh herbs but you shouldn’t be afraid of using dried for convenience – I keep marjoram that I’ve dried all year round.

Surprisingly, basil also works really well in desserts: the first time I came across it was at Joyce Molyneux’s restaurant, The Carved Angel in Dartmouth. It’s closed now, but she grew her own herbs and was one of the first female chefs to receive a Michelin star. I’d never considered it before and the memory has stuck with me, and inspired this panna cotta with basil.