The miniature version of classic Italian basil! As a microgreen, you get small bright-green oval leaves on fine stems, with a silhouette identical to that of the adult plant but at the scale of a thimble. Intensely concentrated flavour: the entire aromatic profile of mature basil — linalool, eugenol, eucalyptol (volatile compounds) — in amplified mode, with an even more pronounced herbaceous freshness. Tender, juicy, fibreless texture.

Typical chef use: laid down at the last second on a slice of mozzarella di bufala, on the pizza margherita as it leaves the oven, on heirloom tomato carpaccio (where it underlines the theme with a mother-and-child visual echo), on risotto, as a finish on minestrone, or as a garnish on fresh pasta.

As with lemon basil, basil seeds are mucilaginous: tray cultivation on potting mix is greatly preferable to jar germination.

• Soaking: NOT recommended (mucilaginous seeds).
• Germination time: 5-10 days.
• Microgreen harvest: 14-21 days after sowing.
• Yield: about 1-2 tsp of seeds produces a 20 × 20 cm tray of microgreens.
• Best uses: pizza, mozzarella, Italian dishes, chef finishes.