Every great discovery starts with a struggle. Ours began with a basil plant that refused to cooperate.
The First Attempt , An Unknown Variety
Our first foray into growing basil on the farm was, to put it kindly, humbling. We started with an unknown variety , seeds passed along without much by way of provenance or guidance. That batch demanded constant care: fussy about temperature, prone to bolting, and never quite robust enough to give us the confidence we needed. It was a lot of effort for inconsistent results, and we began to wonder whether basil simply wasn't for us.
But we weren't ready to give up.
The Switch to British Basil
The change came when we made the decision to source a proper British basil variety , one bred with our climate in mind. The difference was immediate. Where the unknown variety had struggled, British Basil thrived. It was more resilient, more consistent, and far less demanding. And when we moved it outside, something remarkable happened.
Rather than retreating from the open air, it flourished. The British seasons , the long light summer days, the cool nights, the natural rhythm of the outdoors , suited it perfectly. Growing at its own pace, the basil developed a flavour that was intensely aromatic, sweet, and complex in a way that hurried, sun,forced crops rarely achieve.
Why Outdoor British Basil is Worth the Wait
In hotter climates, basil grows fast , sometimes too fast , which can dilute the essential oils that give it its character. In Britain, the pace is gentler. Our outdoor,grown basil takes its time, and the result is a leaf that's bolder, more fragrant, and beautifully suited to pairing with delicate flavours , particularly fish and seafood.
That natural affinity with seafood is what inspired us to incorporate it into our herb salt blends. Alongside our other farm,grown and hand,selected botanicals, British Basil has become one of our favourite ingredients to work with.
A Lesson from the Farm
Looking back, the difficult early experience with that unknown variety was part of the journey. It taught us what basil needed, and it made the discovery of British Basil all the more rewarding. Sometimes the best results come not from forcing something to grow, but from finding the right variety and letting it do what it does naturally.
Season after season, our outdoor British Basil continues to impress us , and we hope it impresses you too, in every pinch of seasoning.
From Farm to Your Kitchen
When you open one of our herb salt blends and catch that first hit of basil, you're tasting something genuinely local, genuinely seasonal, and genuinely special. It's a small part of a bigger story , one that started with a tricky unknown plant, found its answer in a proper British variety, and flourished under open skies at Broomhill Farm.