The Cook's Herb Garden

The book is organized around individual herbs, from familiar kitchen favourites such as basil to less common plants such as vervain, each with advice on growing, harvesting and using it. Jeff Cox, a garden writer with long experience of organic growing, explains the conditions each herb prefers, how to sow or propagate it, and how to keep it productive through the season.

Marie-Pierre Moine, a Paris-born cookery writer with a particular interest in French and Mediterranean cooking, adds ideas and recipes that make the most of each herb, from simple herb butters and dressings to more substantial dishes. It is illustrated in colour throughout in the clear DK style, which makes individual plants easy to identify. It works well both as a gardening guide and as a cookbook to keep in the kitchen.

Practical, attractive and useful, a good companion for anyone starting a kitchen herb garden. Readers will find themselves cooking with far more fresh herbs once their first plants are growing. It suits small spaces as well as larger gardens, since many of the herbs grow happily in containers. About 192 pages in the DK hardcover.