My favourite pesto plant is home sweet home or food plant to at least 6 UK insect species. These pics were taken in my garden allotment patch, where I sowed Allaria petiolata seeds several years ago.

The middle one is a Shieldbug.

Yes, you can actually buy these seeds from Chiltern Seeds…or you can collect some from the dried seed pods of Jack by theHedge that you find on the wayside.

this plant makes an excellent mustardy pesto, but its coming into flowering season now, so this is your last chance to get the tender leaves before they get too tough for pesto. You can still cook them in a soup or stew though. They go well with rich flavours like tomato or pork.