Thyme on your hands

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT: Hannah Stephen makes a case for a versatile herb

So you can’t say that thyme isn’t versatile.Its leaves are tiny but they are packed with flavour and fragrance. It’s as handy dried as it is fresh.

No kitchen should be without its heady aromatic smells. The intensely pungent flavour complements most meats, including chicken and game.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thyme’s robust nature means that it can withstand long cooking times and it is a good complement to slow-cooked dishes such as stews and daubes.

It is one of the herbs used in bouquet garni, along with parsley and bay. Its flavour also marries well with other robust and heady herbs such as rosemary and sage.

It is high in antioxidants and claims are being made for it as a means of reducing a fever and as a remedy for infections – colds, flu and athlete’s foot are all mentioned

But apart from its value in the kitchen and the treatment room, thyme is one of those herbs that is enjoyed as much for its ornamental value as it is for its intense flavour.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But there are a lot of different varieties, some of which aren’t for eating, so make sure you choose the right type for you.

Thyme likes dry, poor, well-drained soil and lots of sun which is why it did so well around the Mediterranean in ancient times If you have heavy soil you’ll have to add a good amount of grit to have success.

Plant it in late spring or early summer, after the last frosts have passed as it needs time to settle in before enduring its first winter outside.

Upright varieties should be spaced around 9in (23cm) apart, while spreading types need to be 12in (30cm) apart.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They need watering in dry spells while they are becoming established but after that no watering is necessary.

The best known type is Thymus vulgaris, garden thyme, which produces deep mauve-pink flowers in June and July.

Lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus) is good for pots, while T. x citriodorus ‘Bertram Anderson’, a spreading variety, has gold-variegated leaves and mauve-pink flowers.

This variety can be used as both an ornamental and edible plant. Young shoots can be cut off from the tip of the stems for cooking.