Wild Garlic Leaf

Ramsons - Wild Garlic Leaves

Wild Garlic Leaf Pesto

Wild Garlic Leaf Soup

Our first spring foraging beckons with the pungent smell of garlic in the woods. Ramsons or wild garlic leaves love damp and dark woods and grow in abundance from March till about May. In May they turn to seed with a delicate white flower head. Be careful to identify the wild garlic leaves from wild lilly of the valley, which looks similar, but does not smell of garlic, so easy to distinguish.

I made up some fresh pesto using the wild garlic leaf in place of basil and garlic. It worked very well. I used olive oil, but would love to try it using flax seed oil or rape seed oil, both of which are local.

Pesto

• 100gms Wild Garlic Leaves
• 200ml Olive Oil or Flax or Rapeseed
• 50gms Peccorino or any similar hard cheese
• 50gms pinenuts
• seasoning to taste

Method

Simply blend all the ingredients in the food processor and put in a jar - voila!

For some simple wild garlic leaf soup:

• 4 shallotts chopped fine or 1 large onion
• couple of generous glugs of olive oil and a knob of butter
• 500gms floury potatoes, peeled and chopped small
• 200gms wild garlic leaves washed
• 1 litre chicken stock or veg stock
• Seasoning

1. Sweat the shallots or onion in oil/butter until just about golden
2. Add the potatoes and cook for a minute.
3. Add the stock, bring to the boil, simmer for 15 minutes, until potato is soft.
4. Add the wild garlic leaves.
5. Blend and season

Try eating in the spring sunshine for an extra hit of springtimeness!