You can use it for flavoring similarly to celery, but it is stronger in flavor, so use a light touch. I read somewhere it can be poisonous in large quantities, which if true would be another reason to use as flavoring only. I wouldn't recommend serving it as a vegetable.

It would probably be good in a stew if you ran out of celery; it's a convenient thing to have growing in the garden.

Lovage is used sparingly as a culinary herb. It does have a celery taste to it.

Some Lovage recipes.

It is a really neat herb to grow and can get rather large. Here is some more information on Lovage.

I've never heard of it being poisonous, but here's a warning (and frankly, it has such a strong celery flavour, it would be hard to take too much of it, IMO!):

Do not take medicinal doses of lovage during pregnancy or if you suffer from kidney problems. (strong diuretic.)

Use seeds in breads, butters, and cakes; teas. Leaves may be lightly cooked as a green vegetable or added to soup, stew, cheese, cookies, and chicken dishes, sauces and marinades. Roots can be peeled and used as a vegetable. The stems can be candied like angelica, and dried and ground to a powder make a good substitute for salt. Since they are hollow, the stems are used as straws for summer drinks.

A lovage plant I have growing in a large planter, the sole survivor of a dozen or so I started from seed a few years ago, is becoming the Lovage That Ate New York. Though it dies to the roots every year, it's grown a couple of feet wide and tall since emerging in early spring, with sturdy, half-inch-thick stalks and more coming up. Planted next to a carpet of alyssum, it looks like a forest giant.

thank you all, great advice. not so unsure now I know it's similar to celery-will use it in moderation-lol

"I read somewhere it can be poisonous...."

Lovage (Levisticum officinale)the culinary herb,is not poisonous.

Water Lovage (Oenanthe crocata L.) is very poisonous.

I use it in chicken salad and potato salad. Also chicken soup.

Last weekend I made a simple potato salad with homemade mayonnaise, boiled, peeled and sliced red potatoes, snipped chives and chopped lovage leaves. It was delicious, and although I used a lot of lovage, it did not have a strong "celery" flavor -- something more subtle, instead.

The leaves are also good dried and added to salads, stews, soups.

Here are some nice lovage recipes.

thanks again everyone, I am waiting for my plant to bulk up a bit then I will certainly try the potato salad and soup recipes. xxx sue