Grown similarly to lettuce, mature blanched hearts will be less bitter and have a creamy yellow centre with darker green outside leaves. Ideal ingredient for a mixed leaf salad to add taste and texture contrasts.

Choose a sunny, open site and prepare the soil well. Seeds can be sown into peat pots/modules from March to July and transplanted when plants are 10-15 cm tall, at 30cm square spacing. Alternatively seeds can be sown directly into very finely prepared soil, in rows about 13mm deep and 30cm between rows. Cover the seeds lightly with soil.

Thin plants to 30cm apart in the row. Seed can also be sown more thickly from March to August, to harvest as 'salad leaves'. Water after sowing directly or transplanting and keep plants moist at all times.

Harvesting of mature hearts can commence after about 80 days from sowing. To reduce the bitter flavour the plants should be blanched in succession. Once blanched the hearts will deteriorate in quality, so blanching should be carried out to fit in with harvesting requirements. Blanching is achieved by tying up the lower leaves to cover the plant or by placing a 25 cm size pot over the plants and blocking the drainage hole to exclude light.

Serving suggestion - Mixed leaf salad with Italian vinaigrette. Wash a selection of endive, romaine, radicchio, corn salad leaves. Toss in Italian vinaigrette (olive oil, red wine vinegar, chopped oregano, basil, garlic, mustard powder, parmesan, all whisked and blended).