In the picture accompanying yesterday’s post, you can see a couple of large pots towards the bottom of the frame, near the centre. One of those has our new Laurus nobilis, also known as the Bay Laurel.

We had been out of bay leaves for culinary purposes for some time and I had considered trawling the Cowley Road to see if I could get a more generous bag of dried bay leaves than the tiny refills sold in the supermarkets. A living plant will be even better though and, at supermarket prices, will probably only take a couple of years to recoup its cost.

We still need to decide where it will find its permanent home but have already made a start on harvesting the leaves which, with a quick wash, can then go straight in the pot.