It's an idea to buy bunches of mint from local Asian shops where it's sold for a fraction of supermarket prices. The flavour is so much more intense and fresher too.

Garden centres offer a range of fruit-flavoured mints, including apple mint and pineapple mint. Other varieties include peppermint, used in confectionary. There's even a chocolate mint, which, as its name suggests, has an after-dinner mint chocolate taste.

To store
The best way to keep mint is to plunge bunches, stem down, in a jam jar, and cover the leaves with a loose-fitting plastic bag. It's best stored this way in the fridge and will stay fresh for 3-4 days.

Dried mint is often used in Middle Eastern and Asian dishes, and is particularly tasteful when sprinkled over flatbreads. It does, however, become musty within a few weeks of drying, so use it as soon as possible, and freeze any remainder in an airtight plastic bag.