The king of bay trees! This is where most of my bay leaves come from (I use some from a little tree I’m growing in my own organic kitchen garden but it’s too small to keep pace with all the dishes I use bay leaves for). Towering over this part of the glasshouses at Growing with Grace, it reaches right up into the roof and has some of the biggest, lushest leaves you’ll find – so no dried, crispy shards of bay getting lost in dishes. I frequently pop in to this organic growers co-operative in Clapham – it’s on the way out towards the Lake District, western Yorkshire Dales, the Forest of Bowland and the Morecambe Bay area – to collect organic herbs, fruit, vegetables and wholefood ingredients… and to have a good chat with the staff and volunteers. Knowing exactly which tree your flavours have come from – and the fact that supply is clearly secure and unwavering from this huge specimen – is part of the connection to this special place.

Bay tree @_growingwithgrace_ Clapham, Yorkshire Dales