Thanks. My rule of thumb is simply to skip straight to the Articles, when interpreting EU law.

Recitals maybe seem weird because we don't have them in UK legislation. Maybe the nearest thing is Explanatory Notes? If you want to know what a law says, read the law itself. But if the law makes no sense (either as a lay person, or because the law is badly drafted even for legal folks) then the Explanatory Notes may offer some insight.