Until a few years ago you would never have seen wild garlic on a menu, but these days is definitely a chefs' favourite. The whole plant is edible. The flavour is softer, more pleasant than cloves from garlic bulbs. The leaves have a vibrant colour that brings food to life.

‘Fine-leaved’ are the chives most used for culinary purposes, they have a delicious, mild onion flavour. The narrow linear leaves are snipped and used primarily fresh, stirred into uncooked foods or added to cooked foods during the last few minutes of cooking. The attractive flowers, mauve in rounded heads, are edible and make a very pretty garnish.

These easy to grow chives are one of the famous fines herbes (fine herbs) of French cuisine. They are perennial bulbs that spread to form neat tufted clumps, ideal for edging beds and paths. They are particularly attractive when in flower and are a favourite of bees and other pollinating insects.

A relatively new vegetable in the English-speaking world but well-known in Asian cuisine, the flavour of garlic chives is more like garlic than chives, though much milder. Both leaves and the stalks of the flowers are used a stir fry ingredient. The flowers may also be used as a spice.

Gros Long d’Ete is a remarkable, long stemmed leek that comes from France and an excellent choice for short season climates. It is an early variety, a summer leek with long, slender white stems, topped with erect, mid green leaves.

The English heirloom “Lyon 2 Prizetaker” was introduced in the 1880s and is still going strong on the show bench and in the kitchen. This venerable classic is also known simply as “The Lyon” is a very tall leek, with thick solid pure-white stalks which retain their tenderness and mild flavour.

Leek Musselburgh is named for a coastal market town on the Firth of Forth. Introduced in 1834, it has remained popular ever since. It is extremely hardy and can be picked over winter from December to April when there is little else in the garden. A very hardy leek and a very dependable performer.

Leek Zermatt is an early Swiss Giant variety with long shaft and erect foliage. Ready to eat in just 6 to 12 weeks. Sow from March through to May and harvest from July through to October. It has some rust resistance and good storage characteristics.

With outstanding quality and excellent keeping qualities, Ailsa Craig Prizewinner is much loved by both home gardeners and exhibitors producing weighty onions perfect for the kitchen or show bench. A Heritage variety and great all-rounder, Ailsa Craig still takes some beating.