Alexanders are an ancient food source, cultivated for many centuries. This biennial wild flower, with dark green, shiny leaves and umbels of yellow-green flowers can be grown as an ornamental or can be put to use as a culinary herb or spice, the flavour is said to be similar to myrrh.

The Pak Choi Colour Crunch Mix is a new blend that contains a colourful array of pak choi varieties, an explosion of tastes and colour. Juicy, crisp and fast-maturing, they can can be eaten in salad or cooked in stir-fry dishes and can be grown all year round for a continuous supply of tasty baby leaves.

“Bunyards Exhibition” broad beans are a favorite of Chefs worldwide and the most popular old variety with home gardeners because of their beautiful colour and unique flavour. This reliable early English white longpod can be sown in autumn in mild areas and successionally sown throughout the spring.

Broad Bean 'Monica' is probably the quickest maturing spring sown bean currently available. This vigorous, high yielding variety is ideal for early, mid and late sowings and can be sown as late as May. The plants produce a heavy yield with 5 to 6 very large, succulent white beans in hang down pods.

Flourishing famously in Mediterranean and Chinese cultures, elsewhere Raab is still a bit of a curiosity. Easy and fast growing, it can be useful as it comes ready when ordinary broccoli isn't available, but this isn't just a replacement for broccoli, it is a great vegetable in its own right.

Introduced to the seed trade between 1914-1918. This lovely, old fashioned Broccoli variety is a very disease resistant, very hardy and very prolific producer of large dark green heads. Italian Green Sprouting Broccoli will produce a number of good-size side shoots once the initial head is harvested.

Perpetual Spinach is not spinach, nor is it perpetual, but it does grow reliably for quite a long time in the garden! This old heirloom is, in fact a relative of chard. You rarely see it in the shops because it ideally needs to be picked soon before eating. The steamed stalks taste something like mild asparagus.

Chervil is an herb for the connoisseur of fine flavours and fragrances, and as you might expect from its refined appearance, chervil tastes mild and subtle, a little like parsley, but with a sophisticated yet gentle, aniseedy warmth. It is one of the French fab four of flavour in a fines herbes.

Chervil is a great herb for summer, but it's often overlooked. It is one of the easiest herbs to grow. It grows quickly and is ready for harvesting after only six to eight weeks. It needs a cool, moist spot with dappled shade; when you've found that, simply scatter the seeds where you'd like them to grow.

With a sophisticated yet gentle, aniseedy warmth, Chervil "Massa" is a dark green selection with smooth leaves and good plant vigour. Often called the Herb of Joy, Chervil is said to inspire cheerfulness and sharp wits. It certainly brings a smile to my face whenever I chop, nibble or sprinkle it!