Chives

I wouldn’t be without my chives – a very easily grown perennial that adds interest to a whole variety of dishes from early April right through to October. Although a member of the onion family, chives have a sweet flavour entirely their own. A catalogue of how to use them would be endless: they turn up in very many dishes, but one of my favourite ways of serving them is to add a couple of heaped tablespoons to 5 fl oz (150 ml) of soured cream, and to pour this over halved jacket potatoes.

Don’t chop chives – keep them in bunches and use scissors to snip them into small pieces. They can be deep-frozen for the winter by placing them in a sieve, pouring boiling water over to blanch them, then cooling them under a cold tap. Dry them as thoroughly as possible and freeze in sealed polythene bags.

Dried chives don’t work at all, but if you can get hold of a clump (or seeds) of Welsh onion, scallion, or green onion (which all look like spring onion tops) you’ll find these go on all through the winter. Although they have a slightly stronger flavour, they’re suitable for any recipe that calls for chives.

Related recipes to look at:

A Souffle Omelette with Three Cheeses and Chives
Buttermilk Scones with Cheshire Cheese and Chives
Twice-baked Goats' Cheese Souffles with Chives and Balsamic Vinaigrette