Basil

• Dried basil maintains some of the sweetness of fresh basil with the drying process adding more perfumed & cooling menthol notes.
• It is best used in marinades, dressings & sauces.
• By adding the dried basil to water based foods it it gives the leaves a chance to rehydrate restoring some of the properties of fresh basil. 
• Basil is most associated with Italian & Mediterranean cuisine so add to homemade salad dressings or include in tomato based sauces for pasta  dishes.
• If making your own homemade pizza then the tomato based preparation for the base can also benefit from having dried basil included. 
• The flavour of dried basil is not overpowering so you can experiment with this herb & add liberally to your food without worry of ruining the dish.
• Try experimenting with dried basil both earlier in the cooking process to bring a depth of flavour to your dish as well as stirring through at the end to bring added freshness & flavour. 
• Where recipe calls for fresh basil use 1 tsp dried herbs for the equivalent1 tbsp fresh.

• Bruschetta recipe
• Homemade pizza

• Herb flavour profile

There are two main varieties of basil - thai & sweet basil. Thai basil has an anise, clove flavour that is much stronger than sweet basil. This basil is sweet basil and has a sweeter more aromatic flavour described above. For more information on basil, read our ingredient profile here.

• Food Pairings

Sweet basil is perhaps best known for it’s ability to pair with tomatoes, goats cheese or mozzarella. It also goes very well with summer fruits such as raspberries or strawberries. If pairing with vegetables basil gives a great added flavour to courgettes, lettuce, mushrooms & peas and if cooking meat basil works better with dark or red meat than with white.