Wild Garlic Recipes and Ideas

After a wonderful Cypriot BBQ on Orthodox Easter Sunday, we strolled to the back of my friend’s house to be shown their meadow of wild garlic. I can not explain how excited I was to see natures rambling bounty. I had seen these beautiful leaves used by chefs on Saturday Kitchen and couldn’t stop beaming.

Wanting to know more I uncovered a wonderful article by Tom Norrington-Davies http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/how-to-find-wild-garlic/ which is worth reading.

If you are able to find woodlands, seek out the wonderful carpets of white Allium ursinum flowers, their season is short running from April to June. Some famers markets will sell bags of the leaves, if you cannot find the wild garlic naturally.

Wild garlic’s delicate flowers are natures nose to tail gift, with the whole flower, stem and small bulb being edible and added to any dish where you would use cultivated garlic. Try making pesto with the leaves, chop a small amount of the stem into salads or to flavour sauces and garnish dishes with the flowers.  The flavour of all parts are pungent so add with restraint.

A word of caution; Lilly of the Valley has a very similar leaf and flower and it is poisonous, so please ensure you take advice before adding anything foraged to your meals.

Below I have selected a few of my images to show you what wild garlic looks like in nature. Some complain that wild garlic is invasive and will take over an area and proves quite difficult to irradiate, however, if nature has chosen to grace you with an edible delight embrace, enjoy and add your natural ingredient to your meals while the season lasts.

Here are a few of the recipes made using wild garlic from the chef featured on Saturday Kitchen:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/plaice_with_shellfish_67433

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roasted_salt_marsh_lamb_13899

I hope I have inspired you to seek out natures gift to flavouring food.

Enjoy