Chives are very versatile and I often use them in my cooking. One of my favourite uses for them is to blend chopped chives into some cream cheese and add some finely minced garlic and just a pinch of garlic powder, mix it all together well and you have a very tasty topping for crackers, to use on canapes or in a sandwich.


The smallest species of the onion family chives are available all of the year round. Chives are a herb that grow in a large clump and resemble `blades of grass`, when you snip some to use remember to take the freshest and greenest among them.
They have a mild onion type flavour and contain an oil that is rich in sulphur which is found in the onion family but presents itself mildly in the chive plant. Chives do flower, a light purple flower which is also edible.


Chives have no calorific value. They can be stored in the fridge, if they are popped into a plastic bag they will keep well for a few days.
If you are preparing a salad then chopped chives look really good sprinkled over the top, I generally chop them using scissors , its far easier.
If you fancy something different in a sandwich then egg and mayonnaise filling is delicious with chopped chives added.
They look wonderful chopped finely and sprinkled over buttered new potatoes and also sprinkled on top of a bowl of soup.


If you have a patch of soil that you would like to fill with greenery then chive makes an ideal landscaping plant. The plant produces purple, white or pink flowers. If you just leave them to grow the patch will soon thicken and make an attractive and easy to maintain space filling plant.
Some insects hate chives, but the bees love them.
One specific variety of chive is really good to eat, the Chinese chive, it grows and flowers exactly like ordinary chive but it has a hint of garlic in the leaves.


If you wanted to experiment then you could buy a packet of Chive seed, Thompson and Morgan are well established seed merchants. But more often than not its a lot easier to beg a little clump from a friend or neighbours garden and start off that way!


Chives are fairly easy to grow and maintain, they do like a sunny spot and they love a moist but drained soil. If you would like to grow a pot to keep in the kitchen then just transplant a few into a pot, they look attractive on the windowsill.
If you have to resort to buying a small pot of chive then they will cost you around £1.50 a pot from any good garden centre.