My parsley plant has gone bonkers! It is making an advance on the rest of the herb tub and is trying to strangle my sage plant. I have had to take drastic measures and now have a bag-full of parsley awaiting as unknown fate! I’ve had a tip from mum and an idea for a recipe…

Mum’s tip

Freeze chopped fresh parsley in a freezer bag. Then when you need to add parsley to a sauce or soup, just take what you need from the bag. You can’t use the frozen parsley for salads or in any fresh capacity, but it’s great for cooking with.

English Parsley Sauce
(Delia Smith)

Ingredients
15fl oz/425ml milk
a few parsley stalks
1 bay leaf
1 slice onion, ¼in/5mm thick
1 blade of mace
10 whole black peppercorns
¾oz/20g plain flour
1½oz/40g butter
4 heaped tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp single cream
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method
Place the milk and the next five ingredients in a small pan, bring everything slowly up to simmering point, then pour the mixture into a bowl and leave aside to get completely cold.

When you’re ready to make the sauce, strain the milk back into the pan, discard the flavourings, then add the flour and butter and bring everything gradually up to simmering point, whisking continuously with a balloon whisk until the sauce has thickened and is smooth and glossy. Then turn the heat down to its lowest possible setting and let the sauce cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.

To serve the sauce, add the chopped parsley, cream and lemon juice, taste and season, then serve in a warm jug.

I’m planning to make a cod recipe this week and this parsley sauce will make a perfect accompaniment.

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