Jekka McVicar

Jekka McVicar at her herb farm in Bristol

Vitacress has hosted a showcase event with herb expert Jekka McVicar to celebrate record fresh herb sales.

Fresh herb sales reached new heights in August, with parsley experiencing the biggest spike. Sales of flat leaf parsley are up 37 per cent this year, to a record level of over 14 million packs, pots and bunches.

To mark the achievement, Vitacress welcomed food writers and bloggers to an event focused on herb trends and new varieties, hosted by grower and author Jekka McVicar at her herb farm in Bristol.

McVicar, who works with Vitacress as an ambassador and advisor on new varieties, owns the largest collection of culinary herbs in the UK.

Tony Reid, head of marketing at Vitacress, said: “There have been some really interesting developments in the fresh herb market this year, notably the huge increase in sales of flat leaf parsley.

“We wanted to share these insights with the media in a fun and informative day. Jekka’s herb farm, with its unrivalled number of herb varieties, was the perfect location.”

The event formed part of Vitacress’ Herbilicious campaign, which focuses on inspiring and engaging consumers with fresh herbs and tapping into healthy eating and world food trends.

To support the activity, Vitacress is working with leading bloggers, including Danielle Martin from the healthy eating blog Hungry, Happy, Healthywho has prepared a herb pairing guide.

Vitacress is also providing herbs to blogger Kerstin Rodgers, known online as Ms Marmite Lover, for recipe development and events.

Katie Caldesi, a cookery writer, restaurateur and author, has provided four recipes from her book Around The World in Salads, as well as a guest blog on world cuisine and the roles fresh herbs play.