🍃 Bay

Bay is a handsome evergreen with glossy, aromatic leaves that are an essential in bouquet garni and slow-cooked dishes. It is easy to grow in a large pot or border, and can be clipped into standards, balls and cones to make decorative features.

It is hardy in most of Britain once established, but young plants and pot-grown specimens may need protection in cold winters, since hard frost can scorch leaves. A sheltered spot makes all the difference.

Varieties to try

Laurus nobilis (the sweet bay)Aurea (golden-leaved, less hardy)Angustifolia (narrow-leaved, willow-leaf bay)Standard bay (trained on a stem)

Plant a pot-grown bay in spring or early autumn in a sunny or lightly shaded, sheltered position with free-draining soil. Add grit to heavy soil. Seed is slow and erratic, so buy a young plant or take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer.

In pots, use a loam-based compost with grit in a container at least 30 cm wide, and repot every 2–3 years. Water in well until established. A position out of cold east winds prevents leaf scorch.

Top tips

• Buy a plant rather than sow.
• Shelter from cold winds.
• Use gritty compost in pots.
• Water until established.

Once established, bay is easy. Water pot-grown plants regularly in summer but keep the compost on the dry side in winter. Feed monthly in the growing season. Clip in summer with secateurs, cutting stems rather than trimming leaves, which turn brown at the cut edge.

In cold regions, protect potted plants with fleece or move under cover. Scale insects and sooty mould are the main pests; wipe off scale with soapy water. Leaf scorch from cold winds browns leaves; it normally recovers in spring. Bay suckers are common and can be dug out.

Top tips

• Clip with secateurs.
• Fleece in severe cold.
• Water sparingly in winter.
• Wipe off scale insects.

Watch out for

Scale insectsSooty mouldLeaf scorchBay sucker

Pick leaves at any time of year, cutting or snapping individual leaves from the stem. Flavour develops as the leaves age, so older leaves, a year or two old, have the strongest taste. Avoid stripping any one branch.

For drying, pick in summer and dry flat in a warm, shady place for two weeks, then store in a jar. Dried bay keeps its flavour for about a year.

Top tips

• Pick older leaves for flavour.
• Take leaves from different branches.
• Dry flat for two weeks.
• Pick fresh all year.

Add one or two leaves to stews, soups, stocks, casseroles, curries, rice, sauces and custards. Always remove the leaves before serving, since they are tough. Fresh leaves are mild and become more pungent when dried and aged.

Store dried leaves in an airtight jar in a dark cupboard. Fresh leaves keep on the plant all year, or freeze in bags. A bay leaf in a jar of rice or flour deters weevils.

Top tips

• Remove leaves before serving.
• Add early to long-cooked dishes.
• Try bay in rice pudding.
• Store dried leaves in a jar.