A bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs tied together or wrapped in muslin, added to soups, stews, and stocks during cooking to impart flavour, then removed before serving. The classic French combination is thyme, parsley, and bay leaf, sometimes with celery, leek greens, or peppercorns. Keeping the herbs bundled allows their aromatic oils to infuse the liquid while making retrieval easy, avoiding stray stalks in the finished dish. Fresh herbs give a brighter note than dried. The technique reflects a core principle of professional cookery: layering flavour during slow cooking while maintaining a clean, refined presentation.