Wild thyme

Serpolet

What it is

Serpyllum comes from the Latin serpere, to creep, and the plant does exactly that, flattening itself across limestone and alpine turf instead of making a bush. It carries far less thymol than garden thyme, which is why a whole flowering stem can go into a dish where common thyme would have to be stripped and rationed.

In the kitchen

Use the flowering stem whole and lift it out at the end, as you would a bay leaf. It gives itself up to warm honey or oil in twenty minutes off the heat; boiling drives off the floral top notes first.

Goes with

Lamb Rabbit Honey Goat cheese Olive oil Apricot Garlic

Same species

Thyme Thyme honey

In season alongside

Lavender flowers Clary sage Curry plant Hyssop Labrador tea Lavender honey

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us