Strongly flavoured, savoury should be used with a light touch. It adds a piquant flavour to many foods including pâtés and soups, as well as meat, fish, peas, potato, and especially to bean dishes. A few chopped fresh leaves are a flavourful addition to salads, but using more than this can be overpowering. Dried or fresh, savoury is a common ingredient in the French herb blend, herbes de Provence, an assortment of dried herbs said to reflect those most commonly used in southern France.

Summer savoury is the more versatile of the two varieties. It adds just the right note when making a chicken broth, is good with eggs, and adds a lively depth of flavour to bean dishes.

In many dishes, savoury can serve as a flavourful substitute for salt.