Last night I was cooking a chicken stew, and I had to double-check my recipe to remember which herbs I put in it (rosemary, thyme, basil, sage and a bay leaf). As I was grabbing the little jars out of the cupboard, it occurred to me that this list is pretty similar to that famous lyric – parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
– and wondered, “Hmm, why is it I never put parsley in this? Or, actually, into anything?” So I pulled out my little jar of parsley, gave the contents a sniff (parsley really doesn’t have a very appealing smell, hey) and read the description on the jar’s side:
A popular herb used to garnish or add a touch of colour to your favourite meal. Great with sauces and egg dishes.
“Oh yeah!” I remembered. “Parsley is so crap that even the parsley jar can only suggest adding it to anything for cosmetic reasons. That’s why I never use it.”
Clearly, it’s time we change the line in that song to “basil, sage, rosemary and thyme”. And a bay leaf.