Bay watch

'It reminds me of soft, sugary cola-bottle sweets'

- Mark Diacono

BAY has a peculiarly complex scent and flavour. There's a wonderful piney, sweet spiciness-a warm coming together of citrus, rose, cola, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla and pine together with a fruit-wood smokiness that's stronger in the dried leaves. There's more than a little cola about the scent: even now, if I rub a soft, supple bay leaf in summer, it reminds me of the taste of the soft, sugary cola-bottle sweets I so often spent my dinner money on.

Unless you're drying the leaves to reduce to a powder, it's rare to actually eat bay; not only is its texture unwelcome, the leaf itself is bitter. Thankfully, infused in dairy, oil or water, it imparts only its best qualities and, despite its flavour being very present, it is a gentle herb. With all this welcome complexity, bay unsurprisingly suits both warm months and cold, both savoury and sweet recipes; you could argue it is the most versatile herb, yet it is perhaps underused beyond cooking fish or making a soup or stew. Try a leaf or two in the milk for rice pudding or panna cotta if you fancy exploring its sweet potential.