Lovage is a strongly aromatic perennial herb with a celery-like character. Its leaves, stems and seeds can be used in cooking, but its intensity means it is usually handled more sparingly than parsley or celery leaves.
Selection and Storage
Choose fresh, upright leaves with a clean green colour and no slimy patches. Refrigerate wrapped loosely in a slightly damp towel or in a suitable produce container and use while the aroma remains fresh.
Preparation and Culinary Uses
Use finely sliced leaves in soups, stocks, potato dishes, beans and herb sauces. Add cautiously, taste, and increase only when the dish can support its concentrated savoury-herbal flavour.
Chef’s Notes
Taste the ingredient in its raw or simplest prepared form before building the dish. Variety, maturity, season, processing and storage can change intensity, moisture and texture.
Substitution Principle
Choose substitutes by culinary function—aroma, acidity, texture, bitterness, sweetness or body—rather than assuming that ingredients with a similar appearance will behave identically.
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