The panic brought by the recent tarragon shortage in the foodservice arena has highlighted the commercial revolution that the fresh herbs sector has quietly moved through over the last couple of decades.

The time when the public regarded mint and parsley as the only essentials in the great British menu, and grew them in their gardens or allotments, is a long way down memory lane.

Commercial production was highly specialised. The founder of now one of the best-known suppliers in the UK began growing in the 1960s on a handkerchief-sized plot in the Thames Valley and selling the proceeds on the “stones” of the original Covent Garden.

Public interest emerged when cookery programmes and recipes started singing the product’s praises, with the multiples responding by selling small fresh prepacks in competition to the well-established and heavily marketed dried equivalent, which had held a secure place on the shelf until then.

Great interest in and knowledge of ethnic food, plus holidays abroad, continued to increase demand and with it the range on offer - although most retailers would then quietly still admit in the transition period that there was massive wastage. However the category, in the same way as products like garlic, had already reached a point where it was a must-have on display.

Dill, basil, chives, chervil, marjoram, rosemary, sage, sorrel, not forgetting tarragon, all became commonplace, to be quickly followed by different types of parsley and particularly coriander once known only as the staple of Mediterranean cuisine. If the chefs had been the original conduit, growth now outstripped their demands.

At the same time, new concepts were appearing with the arrival at retail of fresh growing packs that had the extra appeal of being instantly available at home and simply trimmed off to requirements on the draining board with kitchen scissors. Amateur gardeners’ sales also took a leap every spring with the provision of seed, often in specialised kits.

The point has now been reached when not only have fresh-cut packs increased in size, but carry information about their use. Most recently, many supermarkets have begun selling large loose bunches.

Such demand in its wake has generated new sources. The Re:fresh Directory lists no less than 18 sources. I even arranged a trip for German herb growers to the UK to meet potential importers and tour supermarkets to see what was on offer.

Although, surprisingly, there is little official data about the size or preferences of our national market, there’s nothing better than the sweet smell of success and a nice Béarnaise sauce! -

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