Paula McIntyre: It is wonderful to see the garden has burst into life since I was last home

The veil of pink blossom on the apple tree I left had given way to verdant buds. The quince tree is in blossom with the promise of more fruit than the two it produced last year and the herb pots have exploded.

Sweet cicely is one of those herbs you need to grow yourself – refreshingly you can’t pick it up in the supermarket. It has fern-like fronds and a taste like aniseed and liquorice. Not only has it taken over the large pot it was planted in, it has seeded itself in any area that will give it space.

It used to be popular here up to a hundred years ago but has grown slightly out of favour. In Germany and the Nordic countries its celebrated and used with tart fruits like rhubarb, gooseberries and cooking apples, as well as with root vegetables, greens and added to vodka to make a very pleasing aquavit. In the recipe here I’ve paired it with rhubarb that’s in season locally now and English strawberries in a trifle. If you can’t source cicely add a splash of elderflower cordial instead.

The nettles have had a real party to themselves in my absence and have taken over a large planter I was procrastinating about. The nettles got there first. Not that I mind because they make a great ingredient.

You can add them to mash for a traditional colcannon, in a tea infusion or in soup. In the recipe here I’ve whizzed them into a pesto with parsley, almonds, oil, garlic and white balsamic vinegar.

You can use cider vinegar or white wine vinegar but white balsamic is in a league of its own and when I use it in a dressing people comment how nice it is. It’s not so astringent as other vinegars and is perfect in this recipe. You could toss the pesto in pasta with parmesan, spread over toast, have with oily fish, vegetables or in a cheese salad.

For years I’ve been trying to grow lovage. Seasoned gardeners warned me it would take over the place.

This never happened and now I realise it just needed a bit of distance from me. On reflection I was like a pushy parent, wishing it on to do well, over feeding it and it didn’t perform. A fortnight away from me and it has flourished – it was swaying in the pot like something from a L’Oreal advert.

I’ve ignored it since and its thriving. It’s a lovely pairing with tomatoes, in pork and chicken dishes or here as a mayonnaise with local asparagus and a poached egg. You’ll have more than you need for the recipe but use it for salads, it will keep in the fridge for a few days. You won’t find it in the supermarket either – go to your garden centre and suss it out with some unusual herbs to add a different flavour profile to your cooking.