It seems British cuisine is experiencing a taste overhaul, with sales of herbs and spices up 30 per cent last year.
Tesco reported a rise in sales of most fresh herbs; parsley, and rosemary increased by 40 per cent or more and basil and sage saw increases of 28 and 26 per cent respectively.
Lemon thyme also recorded a significant increase of around 118 per cent.
Industry insiders are attributing the sales boost to celebrity chefs and a rise in consumer interest in cooking.
A spokesperson for the Herb Society said: “The Society's aim is to increase health within the community through the use of herbs and over the past year there seems to have been an increasing interest in the Society. This appears to reflect the growing awareness of the harmfulness of convenience foods and salt, which is the most likely cause for the increase in herb consumption.”
