HERB OF THE MONTH
Flavoursome, fabulous, festive fennel
Festive fennel For summer entertaining, Florence fennel is a deliciously different salad vegetable that is also full of flavour when slowly roasted. Its large white edible bulb has a subtle anise flavour and crisp, crunchy texture when eaten raw. When roasted, the liquorice flavour mellows so that it is more savoury than sweet.
To use Cut off the tops and peel off the tough outer layers. Thinly slice or shave it into salads, along with leafy greens and other crunchy ingredients (celery, apple, carrots, baby marrow, nuts, cranberries). To roast, slice it into 3cm rounds and oven roast on its own or with other veggies as a side dish for chicken, pork or fish, or folded into pasta.
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Try these Combine fennel shavings with colourful leafy greens, tossed with this delicious cranberry vinaigrette: purée cranberries (plumped up in hot water) with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and sugar. Reserve a few cranberries to add when serving. To accompany a Sunday roast, top sliced fennel with garlic, salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons of orange zest, and roast until it softens and caramelises. Sprinkle with pomegranate pearls when serving.
To grow In order to develop plump, crisp bulbs, Florence fennel requires rich soil that should still drain well, and more regular watering than garden fennel.
As a stand-out foliage plant Bronze fennel has fine, feathery bronze leaves and yellow flowers in summer. Use it as a feature plant in flower gardens, especially in mixed borders. It thrives in the company of other sun-loving annuals and perennials like salvias, dahlias, zinnias, cosmos and gaura. No herb or vegetable garden should be without common fennel, which is a tallgrowing perennial. The feathery leaves and seeds have healing properties and can be used in cooking and baking. An invaluable companion plant, its yellow flowers attract butterflies and beneficial predator insects like hoverflies and wasps, as well as acting as a trap for aphids.
