“Something has been pecking at my parsley,” said Mrs C, standing over the herb garden clutching a rolling pin.

“It’s probably mealybugs – you need to spray them with water. Use my water pistol.” I told her.

As we are finally off on holiday it seemed fitting to cook Mrs C’s stuffed sardines the Greek way.

We first found this recipe in a tiny taverna called Dimitris, halfway up the Peloponnese mountains.

Despite their small size, fresh Cornish sardines have a lot going for them.

They're rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and they cook so quickly on a barbecue.

We cook them on a griddle pan but you can grill or bake in the oven if you prefer. If you can’t find fresh sardines you can use mackerel instead.

If possible, get your sardines butterflied by the fishmonger as having the backbone removed is the traditional way to stuff and serve them.

For the marinade you will need 2 garlic cloves minced. 4 tablespoons of chopped parsley (with mealybugs removed!).

The juice of 2 lemons and about 4 tablespoons of good olive oil. Combine the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, with some black pepper and sea salt in a bowl and whisk well. Arrange the sardines on a plate and pour the marinade over the fish.

Turn the fish to ensure they are coated evenly, and spoon some of the marinade into the cavity of each fish. Or if your sardines have been butterflied, fold over each fish to seal in the marinade. Set aside for 30 minutes. Put a griddle pan on a high heat to get nice and hot.

Once it’s ready, add the sardines to the pan, sprinkle over a little salt and cook for about five minutes turning once halfway through.

Transfer the sardines to a large platter and season with salt. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges. Mrs C serves this with a Greek salad – so due to current diet restrictions it looks like I won’t be having chips until I go on holiday.

“Did you spray that parsley liked I told you?” I asked Mrs C, while pouring myself a large glass of Pinot Grigio.

“No. I went and bought some from the local shop. So much for my herb garden!”

Follow Tony Cowell on Twitter: @cowelltweets