IT'S always very amusing checking out the rosemary plants growing in other people's gardens, as they say that where rosemary grows well, is apparently where the woman wears the trousers!

I love the pretty blue rosemary flowers that are in full bloom at this time of year, they are great in salads, or can be scattered on food as a garnish for meat, fish or even something sweet.

Rosemary is an evergreen plant, so it can be enjoyed all year round. It's one of the most intense and aromatic of the herbs, and grows very well in our climate, as well as growing wild all round the Mediterranean, especially by the sea. The bittersweet, lemony and almost piney strong flavour works so well with lamb, beef, pork, duck and chicken, but also surprisingly well with sweet dishes. Insert sprigs into roasting joints of meat, or pop a few in when roasting potatoes, root vegetables or even fish. It's best to remove the sprigs after cooking but if you chop the leaves up very finely, you can add them to a breadcrumb stuffing or a sauce or gravy.

Now that barbeque days are practically here, try tossing whole sprigs of rosemary on the hot BBQ coals to add flavour to the food, or use the woody stalks as skewers for cubes of fish, prawns, meat or vegetables. Make your own rosemary oil by placing a couple of sprigs in a bottle of olive oil, keep for at least a few weeks for the flavours to properly infuse, then use in all your barbeque marinades, or just for drizzling over lamb or beef as it is cooks .

Not only is rosemary great in the kitchen, but it is also an age-old medicinal herb, thought to be effective in preventing and reducing certain cancers and used as a pain killer, antiseptic, memory enhancer, as well helping with neuralgia, upset tummies and people with nerve conditions. To make a rosemary tisane , place the leaves from one or two sprigs in a tea pot of boiling water, leave to steep for a few minutes, then sit back and sip, feeling it working its magic.

TO STORE ROSEMARY Store fresh rosemary in a plastic bag or in a glass of water in the fridge. To dry your own rosemary, hang fresh sprigs in a warm, dry place. Be sure to strip off the leaves before storing. This is easily done after the sprigs are dry by putting them in a plastic bag and rubbing them off the stem. Store in an airtight container, in a cool, dry place, away from light, to preserve freshness and flavor.

Gardeners will find an added benefit to growing their own rosemary, as it is a natural insect repellant.

ROSEMARY BUTTER Makes about 30 slices If you have some of this delicious rosemary butter in your fridge or freezer you will never be without a quick sauce for a steak or chop.

Mix 2 tbsp of finely chopped rosemary with 100g soft butter and a squeeze of lemon juice , then roll into a log and wrap in greaseproof and pop in the fridge or freezer. Cut into slices and serve on top of sirloin or fillet steaks, or lamb chops.

SPINACH AND ROSEMARY SOUP We make this great soup at the cookery school, it is so fast and nutritious, and I love the flavour of the spinach with the rosemary.

25g butter 110g onions, chopped 150g potatoes, peeled and chopped Salt and freshly ground pepper 600ml chicken or vegetable stock 600ml milk 350g spinach, washed, destalked and chopped (no need to destalk and chop if it is baby spinach) 1 tbsp chopped rosemary Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onions and potatoes, season with salt and pepper and cover with a butter wrapper or a piece of greaseproof paper, and the lid and sweat over a gentle heat for 8 or 10 minutes. Meanwhile in separate pans heat the milk and the stock, then add both to the vegetables. Bring back to the boil, then add the spinach. Cook uncovered for a couple of minutes until the spinach is just cooked. Add the chopped rosemary and liquidize immediately. Season to taste, and serve.

GREEN BEANS WITH LEMON, WALNUTS AND ROSEMARY These green beans are fresh tasting and really delicious, enjoy with roast meat like lamb, or tossed with hot cooked pasta.

1.25kg small green beans 1 tsp salt 25g butter 6 spring onions, sliced 50g chopped walnuts, toasted 2-3 tsp finely chopped rosemary 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2-3 tsp finely grated lemon rind Cook the beans in a pot of boiling water with the salt for three minutes, or until just cooked, but still slightly al dente.

Drain and plunge the beans into cold water to stop the cooking process; drain again, and set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over mediumhigh heat; add spring onions, and saut� until tender. Add green beans, walnuts, rosemary and lemon juice; cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated.

Sprinkle with lemon rind and serve immediately.

ROSEMARY FOCACCIA Makes two loaves This is a wonderful bread to serve with either soup, like the spinach and rosemary soup, or of course for a sandwich.

Sometimes I chop some of the rosemary and mix it with the flour for the dough, or 750g strong bakers white flour 1 tsp salt Scant 25g fresh yeast, or 1 sachet fast action dried yeast, 7g 150ml olive oil 450ml warm water Coarse sea salt, like maldon 2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, or the bowl of a food mixer. Make a hollow in the centre and add in the yeast. Pour in 3 tbsp of the olive oil, then rub in the yeast until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Pour in the warm water and mix with your hands until the dough comes together .

Knead the dough by hand on a floured work surface, or in the mixer bowl with a dough hook, for five-10 minutes (usually just five minutes in the food mixer, but 10 minutes by hand) until smooth and elastic. The dough should be quite soft but if it is too soft and sticky, just knead in a little more flour. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a tea towel or cling film, and place somewhere warm like in a sunny window or close to an Aga , allow to sit for about one and a half to two hours until the dough has doubled in size .

Punch down the dough to knock it back, put on a floured surface and roll out into two circles, each about 25cm in diameter.

Cover with the tea towel again and leave for 30 minutes. Remove the tea towel, and using your finger tips, make dimples all over the surface of the dough - they can be quite deep. Pour over the remaining oil, sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary leaves and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200�C. When the focaccia are ready to go in to the oven, spray them with a little water and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until golden all over.

Transfer to a wire rack when cooked, and allow to slightly or completely cool before eating .

CHOCOLATE AND ROSEMARY MOUSSE Fills about 10 small glasses The flavour of the rosemary with the chocolate is a very surprising but wonderfully intense treat. Serve with the rosemary shortbread.

110g good quality dark chocolate 110ml cream 1 tbsp chopped rosemary 2 eggs, separated Chop the chocolate finely. Bring the cream and the rosemary up to the boil, turn off the heat and leave to infuse for five minutes.

Then strain out the chopped rosemary, place the cream back in the cleaned saucepan and bring back up to the boil, add the chocolate to the cream and stir it around until the chocolate melts in the cream.

Whisk in the egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites until just stiff, then stir in a quarter of the egg white.

Fold in the rest, gently, being careful not to knock all the air out.

Put into little bowls, glasses or cups and leave for an hour or two in the fridge to set.

Serve on its own or with rosemary shortbread.

BOOK OF THE WEEK 'EASY MEDITERRANEAN' (Ryland, Peters and Small) is full of delicious yet easy recipes, perfect for this time of the year as we ease ourselves into the warm weather