Wild garlic (recipe)

Ramsons, or wild garlic, makes for easy foraging. Early spring the woods around our farm are carpeted with beautiful green leaves , the aroma is thick with a kind of green freshness. I am new to foraging and learning all that mother nature has blessed us with right in our own backyard. All that is needed is a basket, secateurs, good walking shoes and you have some of the best crops available. Make sure you do a little research before you venture out, wild garlic looks similar to poisonous lily of the valley so always crush some in your hands to smell for garlic.

Wild garlic soup:

25g butter

2 potatoes, diced

1 onion, chopped

1 litre of chicken stock

2 large handfuls of wild garlic

leaves chopped roughly

110ml regular or double cream

serve with crusty bread

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, toss in potatoes and onion, salt & pepper to taste, cook until tender. Add stock and bring to rolling boil, than add wild garlic leaves and cook for about 2 mins, but not to long so that the leaves loose their beautiful green color, carefully, pour into blender or blitz with hand blender until smooth, return to pan on low heat , stir in cream and taste for seasoning. * if you don’t have wild garlic on hand, you can substitute watercress, young nettles, spinach, kale or chard. (recipe from, Recipes From My Mother by Rachel Allen).