Swiss Chard
As soon as you've got substantial leaves on your chard you can start harvesting. Pull off the ones on the outside, leaving the central core of leaves growing away.
The mild earthy flavour of chard goes with practically anything.
Salad
Pick young tender leaves when they're just a few inches long to add to salads.
Steamed
The simplest way to cook chard is to chop the whole leaves into ribbons and steam.
Buttered
With a bit more time make lightly buttered swiss chard. Separate the leaves from the stalks, and chop into 1in wide ribbons/sections. Put a little water in a pan followed by a small knob of butter or a splash of olive oil. Cook the stalks for 3-4 minutes, then add the leaves and cover. Cook for a few more minutes until tender and serve.
Braised with garlic, chilli and capers
Take 800g chard, separate the leaves from the stalks and chop into strips. Warm 4 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and gently fry 2 sliced cloves of garlic, a little chopped chilli and 10 salted capers, rinsed. After a couple of minutes add the white stalks, cover and cook gently for 20 minutes. Then add the leaves and a little more water if required. Gently braise for a further 5 minutes, season and serve.