After a miserable July, we finally have some sunshine here in the UK. A warm evening calls for a salad, with, if we are lucky, some flavourful tomatoes. And tomatoes just cry out for basil. 

The combination of tomatoes and basil is not just a feast for the tastebuds, but also for the eye as the flecks of green enliven the complementary red of the tomatoes. 

The scent of the basil is almost more of a delight than the flavour. Just brushing a leaf releases the wonderful perfume.

Drawing this sprig, I realise I had never noticed before that the lower edges of the leaves are gently serrated. The centre of the leaves is high and the edges curl under, which is perhaps why I hadn’t previously noticed the edges.

According to the website patientgardener.co.uk basil and tomatoes grow well together, as they both like the same conditions (warm, wet, almost tropical).

The cultivation of basil is something else to thank the Romans for. But it wasn’t until much later that tomatoes reached Italy from the new world, and the now classic pairing began.