What’s this? Wild Garlic!… well, I say wild, it grows in pots in a shady corner of our little back garden in Walthamstow annually from March until about June. After a bit of googling to make sure I wasn’t poisoning us I have found there are two types of wild garlic and this is Allium Triquetrum also known as three-cornered leek or onion weed.

Wild garlic can be used when you want a delicate, fresh green onion and garlic flavour, similar to chives. The leaves and flowers make a pretty addition to salads, sandwiches and dips. It can also be cooked in sauces for pasta, curry or soup.

All of the wild garlic is usable – leaves, stems and flowers. The bulbs are also usable once the leaves have died down, but course, if you eat all the bulbs then you don’t get plants again next year. Wild garlic, especially the more common ransoms, can be foraged for in shady woodland areas and are easily identified by their pungent garlic smell.

This weekend I’ve cut back the leaves and flowers, and after washing them carefully, wizzed them with olive oil in my shiny new Kitchen Aid food processor into a fine bright green pesto sauce. This will sit happily in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Tonight it’s going to be roast sweet potatoes with wild garlic, rosemary and parmesan. Yum!