The Wild Garlic Files – A collection of TEN Wild Garlic Recipes to see you through the Wild Garlic season. From scones and fritters, to pesto, cheesy potatoes and sourdough bread, there’s something here for everyone.
PLUS a NEW recipe for Wild Garlic & Walnut Pesto
Wild Garlic is currently in season in the UK and Europe, and I love this subtle but aromatic herb. I’ve collected a few of my favourite recipes here, in The Wild Garlic Files, all in one place for your inspiration. From scones and fritters, to pesto, cheesy potatoes and sourdough bread, there’s something here for everyone.
As well as these ten recipes, I have also shared some wild garlic information below too, for your interest, and a new recipe for Wild Garlic & Walnut Pesto, which is at the end of this post. My Wild Garlic & Walnut Pesto is the perfect recipe to make when wild garlic is in season, and is delectable when folded through freshly cooked pasta.
The Wild Garlic Files Information Centre
Garlic is part of the onion family, and there are many closely related species of the garlic, growing wild in Britain. Wild field garlic (Allium oleraceum) is a common sight in the early summer and grows in damp hedgerows and along riverbanks, in fact I remember eating it as I walked to school. It has small but strong-smelling bulbs, which the French call Pif.
Ramsons (A. ursinum) is another common Allium species. It has very broad leaves that make it an excellent, pungent addition to a salad. Ramsons has many of the same medicinal uses as Garlic and a long history as a healing herb, as this ancient Old English rhyme tells us:
“Eat Leeks in March and
Ramsons in May
And all the year after
Physicians may play!“
Wild garlic has many names, usually local to different regions. Some of the names are quite amusing, and allude to certain animals love of this wild herb, in particular, bears! There’s a fabulously informative post about wild garlic on the Woodland Trust website here: Wild garlic – A delicious sign of the old, wild garlic is also known as ramsons. Look for them in shady woods where they coat the woodland floor in spring.
I was fascinated to read that wild garlic is often a sign of ancient woodlands. It’s what The Woodland Trust class as a “ancient-woodland-indicator plant. If you spot it while you’re out exploring, it could be a sign you’re standing in a rare and special habitat”
How magical is that? We have it growing all along and in the wooded area of our back garden, here in North Wales, and so foraging for me is a 2 minute walk up the garden.
Other Names for Wild Garlic
- Ramson
- Buckram
- Wide Leaved Garlic
- Wood Garlic
- Bear Leeks
- Bear’s Garlic
- Crow Garlic
- Field Garlic
- False Garlic
- Stag’s Garlic
- Wild Leek
- Wild Onion
- Ramp and Ramps
- Wood Leek
Did you Know?
The second half of the Latin name, ursinum, refers to the fact that brown bears loved to eat the bulb. This also gave rise to two of its common names – bear’s leek and bear garlic.
(Courtesy of the Woodland Trust)
The Wild Garlic Files Recipes
The Wild Garlic Files
The Wild Garlic Files - A collection of TEN Wild Garlic Recipes to see you through the Wild Garlic season. From scones and fritters, to pesto, cheesy potatoes and sourdough bread, there's something here for everyone.
Today's recipe for Wild Garlic, Cheese & Walnut Sourdough is my offering as an Easter Bread Loaf. It's made with my basic Classic Sourdough Bread made Easy recipe, with wild garlic, walnuts and the most amazing truffle cheese added.
This recipe for Wild Garlic Mushrooms on Toast is more of an idea how to use wild garlic when it is in season, than a recipe as such. The recipe is for two people and would make the perfect spring luncheon dish, or a quick and easy supper recipe. When wild garlic is out of season, you can use chopped chives or finely diced garlic cloves.
Wild Garlic & Three Cheese Tomato Tart – A delightful summery tart (quiche) which makes good use of seasonal cherry tomatoes as well as odds and ends of cheese that may be lurking in the fridge, and ready-made puff pastry. (Use 2 cloves of chopped bulb garlic when wild garlic is out of season)
My recipe for Sourdough Cheese & Wild Garlic Scones is perfect for sourdough starter discard. It uses just 60g of recently fed and bubbly sourdough starter. The recipe also has seasonal wild garlic in it, along with vintage Cheddar cheese. These Sourdough Cheese & Wild Garlic Scones were a revelation, a cross between a normal scone, as in short and light, but almost like a bread roll with a bit of chewiness and a layered flaky texture.
A delightful seasonal tart that makes good use of wild garlic in the spring, and also uses Blue Wensleydale cheese, which is fabulously creamy, crumbly and light in flavour, compared to other blue cheeses. When wild garlic is not in season, just substitute spring onions and a couple of garlic cloves for a similar taste and flavour. Similarly, Blue Wensleydale cheese can be substituted with another mild blue cheese too.
Whole Roast Cauliflower Cheese with Wild Garlic: A stunning and very easy to prepare cauliflower cheese that has wild garlic added to the quick cheese sauce. Perfect for any Spring supper or weekend luncheon.
Delightful little vegetarian fritters with the added seasonal bonus of wild garlic (ramsons), chilli and sweetcorn; these fritters are a low 185 calories per serving (4 small or 2 large fritters per person) and can be eaten hot or cold. When wild garlic is out of season, use spring onions instead and omit the chilli if serving these to children, if they are not keen on heat in their food. Serve with lots of salad leaves for a light lunch, supper or snack.
Cheesy Roast New Potatoes with Wild Garlic – This recipe is so easy to make and takes advantage of two seasonal stars of Spring, Jersey Royal potatoes and Wild Garlic. It’s made a little more decadent by the addition of cheese which melts over the roast potatoes – and who doesn’t love cheesy potatoes.
Avocado, Egg and Bacon on Sourdough Toast with Wild Garlic and Chive Flowers – Using Denhay’s New Wiltshire Cure Thick Cut Smoked Back bacon which is served with a Chestnut Maran poached egg, avocado on homemade sourdough toast with wild garlic, chives and chive flowers.
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Recipe for Wild Garlic & Walnut Pesto
Wild Garlic & Walnut Pesto
This recipe for Wild Garlic & Walnut Pesto is amazing, and is the perfect recipe to make when wild garlic is in season.
Mix with freshly cooked pasta, use as a marinade or rub for meat, poultry and fish; also great as a pizza sauce.
This pesto lasts in a sealed jar, in a dark cool place for up to 6 months. You can still use it after 6 months, but it may not be as green as it was when it was freshly made.
Ingredients
- Large bunch of wild garlic leaves, about 150g
- 75g walnuts
- 75g grated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 150ml olive oil (I used lemon and garlic olive oil)
- Extra oil to drizzle over the top
Instructions
- Wash and dry the wild garlic leaves.
- Place all the ingredients in to a food processor or a blender, and blitz until it has all amalgamated into a thick paste.
- To adjust the thickness, place all the ingredients except the oil into a food processor or a blender, and on a low speed add the oil in a slow drizzle until you have the desired thickness. Add more oil of it is too thick.
- Spoon the pesto into a clean (sterile) jar with a lid, drizzle over some olive seal, seal and store in dark, cool place.
Notes
Mix with freshly cooked pasta, use as a marinade or rub for meat, poultry and fish; also great as a pizza sauce.
This pesto lasts in a sealed jar, in a dark cool place for up to 6 months. You can still use it after 6 months, but it may not be as green as it was when it was freshly made.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 seevings Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 218Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 8mgSodium 167mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 4g
Lynne says
What a delicious collection of recipes. I’ve saved seven of them – thanks!
Karen Burns-Booth says
That’s fabulous – thank you! Karen
Jo says
As you may know I follow you on Instagram and thanks to you I made my sourdough starter(April) a year ago.I followedyour sourdough hot cross bun recipe at the weekend and they are so good! So thankyou
Karen Burns-Booth says
That is FABULOUS news, thanks so much for leaving a message here, and see you on Instagram! Karen
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says
Thanks for sharing this collection of recipes they all look lovely 🙂
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much Nic 🙂
Choclette says
Oh my Karen. You’ve made me well and truly hungry now. What a gorgeous set of recipes. I adore the wild garlic season, but it’s not so easy to find here whereas we had a ready supply back in Cornwall.
Kate says
All of these look absolutely dreamy – you’ve inspired me to get foraging and have a go at these beauties! That sourdough loaf in particular looks incredible.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Wow – what an amazing collection – I want to try them all! But especially the mushrooms on toast – that just looks gorgeous 😀
Sisley White - Sew White says
I want to make this for the colour alone. It’s so rich and inviting. Wild garlic is hunt on for this weekend.