Bouquet garnis can be made using tiny muslin squares.

Put into a cellophane outer bag and prettily labelled, they are popular in specialist groceries and as gift items. Thyme, bay, parsley and - tarragon are traditional in these little bags. Put the little twig bundles on to the muslin square and tie the muslin to make a little bag. You can experiment with other mixtures. Special ones for cooking game are very nice. We add bought juniper berries to home-grown thyme and dried balm: this is delicious with wild duck. Using the little muslin bags means that you can put in whole spices and slivers of dried orange peel that would be unpleasant whole in a casserole.

Much of the selling of herbs lies in giving information and making suggestions. A lot of nice products such as the bags for smelling drawers really sell because of their pretty packaging. Even herbs growing in pots sell better if the pots are slightly unusual, such as hand-thrown ones. If the thought of growing all these personable plants appeals to you but the thought of pretty packaging does not then it is a good area for a joint venture. There is bound to be someone who would enjoy doing the fiddly tying of muslin bags and the designing of colourful labels who would hate to be involved with growing the initial product.